A to Z of Tim Whumps!
by JazzieG
Summary: Just what it says in the title! 26 individual stories of ways Tim gets hurt! Why? 'Cos it's fun! All team members will appear throughout. *May contain spoilers for all Seasons*
1. A is for Accident

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to NCIS. That is all.**

**A/N: Alrighty then, I've done this before for Danny Williams on Hawaii 5-0 Reboot fandom & I figured why not give it a go for Tim McGee! Although the headings of the stories may be the same as my 5-0 series for some chapters, they will not be the same story with just a change of character name! After all they are two very different characters. These will not come thick and fast but as I have time and the muse allows I will post! For now I hope you enjoy the first instalment!**

A is for Accident

Special Agent Tim McGee was not having a good morning. It was a Monday following a rare uninterrupted weekend. No work, no colleagues dropping by, just peace and quiet. Of course Monday's tended to be the hardest day of the week anyway, just by virtue of the fact they were the start of another working week.

The day had started like most other work days. His alarm went off and he got out of bed, threw on some running clothes and put a leash on his dog, Jethro, so that they could go for their morning run to the park. Once back at his apartment he made sure Jethro had food and water before getting in the shower then getting dressed. It was a perfectly normal morning.

That was until Tim decided he had time to cut up some fruit to have for breakfast. At weekends he would indulge in the sugary heaven that was dinosaur cereal but during the week he would have toast or fruit. He had lost a lot of weight and was proud of his achievement so he had no intention of slipping back into bad habits.

Tim grabbed the melon that was sitting in his fridge and pulled out a sharp knife so that he could cut it, remove the seeds and then slice it. It was something he did regularly and he wasn't really paying full attention, letting his mind wander. Of course had he been paying attention he might have noticed Jethro enter the kitchen, as it was he didn't, so when the dog nudged him to try to get his attention it startled Tim and the knife slid away from the melon and into his right palm, but not just slicing it; the knife embedded in the centre of his palm.

"Shit!" A rare curse fell from Tim's lips followed quickly by the sudden overwhelming urge to vomit. It was an urge he couldn't prevent as he dashed to the kitchen sink and threw up the meagre contents of his stomach, glad that he hadn't had a chance to have breakfast yet. Propping himself up against the counter with his left hand he inspected the damage.

The knife hadn't gone all the way through his hand but he knew better than to pull it out. Opening a drawer next to the sink he pulled out a clean towel and carefully wrapped it around the knife, careful not to dislodge it but trying to keep it tight enough to stop the bleeding. He also realised this was going to mean a visit to the hospital because there was no way to get the knife out without the help of a medical professional.

Groaning Tim now had to decide the best way to get to the hospital. Driving was out, but he could get a cab, though he wasn't sure that a cabbie would appreciate having a man dripping blood in his vehicle. It didn't seem like enough of an emergency to call for an ambulance so the only other option was to call one of his team…

Tim glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall; he wasn't sure how but the time since starting to cut up the fruit and now seemed to have flown by because he was due to leave for work. Clearly he had zoned out at some point. That was bad.

"Alright Tim," he spoke aloud into the silence of the apartment, startling both himself and Jethro but he found the noise a little comforting, like somehow he wasn't alone. "First of all you need to call Gibbs, you're going to be late no matter what and that is _not_ good. Now where did I leave my cell?" Tim walked out of the kitchen into the living area and saw his cell on the table, bending to pick it up he was overcome by a wave of dizziness and before he could do anything to prevent it he was sprawled on the floor and unconscious. Jethro whined and nudged at his master to no avail, left with nothing to do but protect him the dog lay down by his side, his head resting on Tim's leg.

-NCIS-

"Where the hell is McGee?" growled Gibbs as he entered the bull pen and realised one of his agents was missing.

"Dunno Boss," replied Tony.

"It is not like McGee to be late," Ziva stated, concerned that it was twenty minutes passed the start of their work day and the man in question wasn't at his desk and hadn't called in.

"Call him," Gibbs ordered.

Tony picked up his desk phone and dialled Tim's cell, it rang several times before going to voicemail, "Hey McTardy, you're breaking rule three! Call me as soon as you get this message," Tony hung up and shrugged.

"Ziva, check with Abby and see if she's heard from him."

Nodding the Israeli woman picked up her phone and made the call to the lab, "Abby, have you spoken to McGee this morning?"

"Hi Ziva, no, not yet but I could use his help so can you send him down?"

"He is not here yet Abby, but as soon as he arrives…" Ziva didn't get to finish her sentence.

"What do you mean he's not here? That would mean he's late, Timmy's _never _late! Oh my god, what if something has happened to him? He could have slipped in the shower or had an accident on the way to work…"

"Abby…"

"Or someone could have kidnapped him…"

"Abby…"

"Maybe he's sick and can't get to the phone…"

"ABBY!"

"What? There's no need to yell!"

Ziva took a deep breath; "I am sure McGee is fine, I have to go." she hung up and turned to Gibbs and Tony, "She has not spoken to him."

"Yeah, kind of figured that out," Tony rolled his eyes. He hadn't needed to be even standing near Ziva's desk to hear Abby's excitable stream of words.

"Should we get Abby to track his phone?" suggested Ziva, wishing she had thought of it before hanging up on the Goth, though asking her to do it would probably have sent the woman into another fit of verbal hysteria.

Gibbs shook his head and picked up his cell, pressing the speed dial for his youngest. He'd give McGee one more chance to pick up and then he'd go down to Abby's lab and have her track his cell. It would be better if it came from him in person.

-NCIS-

Tim became aware that he was lying on a hard surface on his right side, that seemed a little off to him but he wasn't sure why. He pried his eyes open and realised he was on the floor in his living room with Jethro lying nearby.

"Jethro?" Tim asked as if the dog could give him an explanation. He soon figured it out when he went to push himself up and the slight flexing of his right hand sent a wave of hot pain up his arm, "Oh, yeah, I stabbed myself. Crap!" Somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind he knew that his confusion wasn't a good thing and he really should be calling for help but he couldn't seem to get his body to listen to the inner voice. His cell ringing on the floor next to him pulled him out of the daze he seemed to be in and he quickly reached for it and answered.

"McGee! Where the hell are you?" the gravelly and very angry voice of his boss came clearly over the line.

"_Boss…_" his voice didn't want to function properly and so Gibbs didn't hear the response.

"You should have been here thirty minutes ago!"

"_Won't be in today Boss,_" Tim finally managed to find his voice.

"What do you mean you won't be in today? What's wrong?" Immediately Gibbs was on alert. It didn't matter what was wrong with Tim he _always_ came into work, with the exception of the laryngitis incident when his sister was in trouble, "Where are you?" he demanded.

"_Home. Had an accident…" _Tim trailed off as he felt the urge to throw up and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to try and push the feeling down. The cell fell to the floor from his loose grip and he didn't have the energy or the inclination to pick it back up.

In the squad room Tony and Ziva had stopped what they were doing as their boss managed to get hold of Tim. Their eyes widened as he asked what was wrong and then they were grabbing their gear and guns as Gibbs went for his.

"Call Ducky," ordered the team leader as they all headed for the elevator, Gibbs still had his cell plastered against his ear, "Tim? Answer me McGee!"

"Gibbs?" Ziva asked as Tony pulled out his cell to call the ME.

"I can hear him breathing but he's not answering. He said he's at home and he's had an accident but now won't respond," the frustration was clear in his tone.

"Boss, got Ducky," he held out his cell.

"Duck," the worried tone immediately alerted the ME to a problem.

"_Jethro? What's wrong?"_

"Meet us in the parking lot. Something's wrong with McGee…"

"_I'm on my way!"_

Gibbs handed Tony back his cell and then turned his attention back to his own, hoping to coax Tim back to the phone to speak to him again, to tell him what was wrong. He _needed_ to know that his boy was alright, that this accident was nothing serious. He _wanted_ to be over reacting, but everything told him that he wasn't. Replaying his very brief conversation with Tim in his head he could now hear the pained tone. Not to mention he could still hear him breathing, which was a good thing in some ways, but the quality of the breathing meant something was very wrong.

Reaching the car Gibbs got behind the wheel and quickly explained to Ducky the very little information he'd managed to glean before Tim stopped answering. He handed his cell over to the ME, who had climbed in the passenger seat as Tony and Ziva clambered into the back. The doors were barely closed before Gibbs was pulling out of the parking lot with a squeal of tires.

-NCIS-

Tim could hear a voice but he wasn't sure where it was coming from. A wet nose touching his cheek and a whimper forced him to open his eyes and he found himself staring into the sorrowful eyes of his German shepherd. He could still hear the voice and it wasn't someone in the room with him. Glancing around he noticed his cell lying near where his left hand rested across his stomach and he went to pick it up, realising that the voice was coming from that. As he reached for it he assessed his situation; he was now lying on his back on his living room floor; it was a familiar feeling, something he had experience of very recently. He put his effort into focusing on what was happening and just a few seconds later he remembered. One look to his right, to his outstretched arm and the hope that the memory was false was shattered. The back of his hand was resting on the carpet and out of the palm stuck a knife. The once clean towel that he had wrapped around it was now soaked with blood. The voice coming from the cell was forgotten about.

Gingerly Tim lifted his right arm, gritting his teeth at the pain the movement generated, but for some inexplicable reason he wanted to bring his hand closer to his body. Maybe it was the need to see the knife up close, to make sure he wasn't hallucinating; it was possibly just an instinct that told him that he needed to raise his hand above the level of his heart to stop or at least slow the bleeding, because he certainly wasn't thinking clearly enough to realise it; either way he suffered through the increasing level of pain until he could rest the injured appendage on his abdomen, careful to turn it so that the back of his hand was against his stomach with the knife handle pointing towards his face. It was with a morbid fascination that he lifted his head slightly so as to be able to inspect the knife. That was a mistake because it made his head swim so he quickly laid it back on the carpet and went back to concentrating on his breathing and not being sick.

-NCIS-

Ducky was listening intently to the noises that he could hear over the phone. He could make out two quite different breathing sounds but when he heard a whimper he realised that one of those sounds was Tim's dog breathing nearby. The other sound was of someone trying to breathe deeply through pain and possibly nausea, it had the distinct sound of a deep breath being taken in through the nose and released through the mouth. Nobody in the car spoke, not wanting Ducky to miss hearing something. The ME then heard a rustling sound, the noise of clothes moving. He allowed his body to relax just the tiniest bit because Tim was clearly breathing and able to move, even if he wasn't able to speak. Ducky had tried several times to prompt a response but none had been forthcoming; he was now waiting for some indication that the man on the other end was ready to speak.

Gibbs pulled into the parking lot of Tim's apartment complex. Instead of taking the usual thirty to forty minutes it had taken them twenty, but nobody was complaining. The four piled out of the car and ran into the building, Ducky being that much slower bringing up the rear. Gibbs wasn't worried about that since they really didn't know what they were walking into, it didn't seem likely that Tim was under duress or that there was anyone else with him, but Gibbs didn't want to take any chances with his old friend's safety.

They reached the door to Tim's apartment and Gibbs gestured for Ducky to stay put. Ziva made short work of picking the lock and the three armed agents pulled their weapons before entering the apartment. Ziva went left to the kitchen as Tony and Gibbs carried on towards the living area and two bedrooms. It hadn't been that long since Tim had caved and moved into a bigger apartment but the team already knew the layout well from the few times they'd been over, even Gibbs.

Gibbs led the way into the living area so he was the first to see Tim lying on the floor there. No sooner had he stepped over the threshold than Jethro stood up and came between the prone man and the 'intruders', a low growl starting from deep in his chest. Gibbs held up his hand to stop Tony moving forward. The German shepherd was in full protective mode and although Jethro knew them his only thought would be stopping anyone from hurting his owner. They'd already seen the damage the dog could do when he had attacked McGee while high on drugs, nobody wanted a repeat performance.

"Jethro…" Gibbs spoke quietly but firmly.

The dog tilted his head slightly but growled again in warning. The first growl had dragged Tim from his haze but he had been unsure why his dog was growling. He'd then heard his boss' voice but thought perhaps he was imagining it. Jethro growling again told him something was upsetting his dog and he'd need to figure out what it was.

"Jethro…" Tim spoke softly to his dog, who immediately whimpered and stepped closer to him but kept his own body between the three people in the doorway, now that the men had been joined by Ziva, retaining his protective stance, "What's up boy?"

"Tim," Gibbs kept his voice soft so as not to startle the clearly upset dog.

"Boss?" the confusion was clear in the voice. Jethro was blocking his view so Tim couldn't see his team standing uncertainly in the doorway. They wanted nothing more than to dash to their family member's side but the very protective dog prevented it.

"Yeah Tim," Gibbs took a slow step into the room, eliciting another growl from Jethro.

"Jethro!" the order wasn't loud and the voice was weak but the tone was unmistakeable to the dog and he whimpered even as he kept his attention between Tim and the other three humans, "Release!" The old command, although not used very often these days, was so ingrained that immediately Jethro dropped his butt to the floor and sat passively next to Tim's feet, "You can come in now Boss."

Gibbs motioned for Ziva and Tony to stay put for a minute. He was pretty sure there was nobody else in the apartment so he holstered his weapon, having watched the display of protectiveness he had no doubt if anyone else _had _been in the apartment they'd have been dog chow by this point. Despite the fact that Jethro looked as relaxed as any friendly dog Gibbs had ever seen he still approached slowly, making no sudden movements. When he reached Jethro he cautiously put out his hand and the dog sniffed it. The moment he smelt the familiar scent of gun powder and saw dust that was all Gibbs the dog's tail thumped on the floor in welcome and Gibbs relaxed, stroking a hand across his head as he passed him to kneel down next to Tim.

"Tony, clear the rest of the apartment and get Ducky in here!" ordered Gibbs as he gently laid a hand on Tim's shoulder.

"Nobody else here Boss," he told him even as he groaned in pain as his hand moved slightly.

"Just following protocol Tim," Gibbs replied, "What happened?"

"Stupid accident. Knife slipped."

Tony and Ziva had finished clearing the apartment and Tony went to retrieve Ducky from outside as Ziva joined Gibbs kneeling on the floor. Jethro, now much more relaxed, came round and sat beside her and she absentmindedly trailed her hand through his fur.

Gibbs moved away a little but made sure he stayed in his agent's line of sight as he let Ducky take his place.

"Oh dear Timothy," he tutted as he inspected his right hand, "Jethro, we'll need an ambulance."

"Is that really necessary?" grumbled Tim even as his boss pulled out his cell to make the call.

"Yes it is young man!" Ducky had pulled out his stethoscope and was fixing a blood pressure cuff around Tim's left arm. The others watched in silence as he finished giving Tim a once over.

"How is he Duck?"

"Low blood pressure, which given the loss of blood is to be expected. It's a good thing he was able to put a towel around the wound. Not only did it stabilise the knife but also slowed down the bleeding," Ducky had decided against touching Tim's hand not wanting to cause him pain and feeling that at this point any further loss of blood would be minimal in comparison to if he tried to remove the makeshift dressing, "How long ago did this happen?"

"What time is it?"

"A little after nine Probie," Tony supplied for him. They had been due into the office for eight am, Gibbs having decided to let them come in a bit later following a hectic week the previous week.

"Maybe a couple of hours ago," Tim replied.

"Why didn't you call for an ambulance as soon as it happened?" Ducky asked.

"Didn't think it was an emergency," stated Tim, blushing slightly, giving his extremely pale complexion a flash of colour.

"You didn't think it was an emergency?!" spluttered Tony, "I'd hate to see what your idea of an emergency is then, McAccident!"

"Timothy a knife embedded in your hand definitely warrants emergency treatment!"

"It's not like I was going to ignore it! I was about to call Gibbs when I kind of passed out," Tim told Ducky, the adrenaline from the arrival of his team keeping him coherent enough to protest.

Not wanting Tim to get agitated Ducky rested a hand on his shoulder, "Well let's not worry about that right now. The main thing is that the ambulance is on its way and you're going to be just fine."

"Actually EMTs are here now," Tony informed him as Gibbs led them into the room.

Ziva took hold of Jethro's collar and took him into the bedroom. He was docile at the moment but he knew the members of Team Gibbs; she wasn't sure he'd be so friendly towards complete strangers given the stress of the situation.

It didn't take the EMTs long to stabilise the knife, insert an IV and place an oxygen mask over their patient's face before they lifted him on to a gurney and put him in the back of the ambulance, Ducky hot on their heels, not wanting Tim to be alone.

-NCIS-

It had been two hours since they had arrived at Bethesda ER and Tim had been whisked away with Ducky still by his side. Gibbs, Tony and Ziva had been joined by Abby and Jimmy after the Team Leader had called to inform them of what happened. Abby had predictably charged Gibbs on arriving and had been plastered to his side with his arm around her ever since.

Tony had been surprisingly quiet since arriving; he wouldn't admit it to anyone but seeing his Probie lying on the floor with a knife sticking out of his hand had caused his heart to jump into his throat, all sorts of scenarios running through his head in the short time before Tim told them it had been an accident.

Ziva had been keeping herself busy getting refreshments for everyone and making sure Gibbs had a cup of coffee to hand. After Tim and Ducky had left the apartment she had made sure that Jethro had sufficient water and ensured that the apartment was secure when they left. There was nothing more she could do.

Gibbs sat watching over his team as they all sat waiting for news of Tim's condition. The Team Leader knew it wasn't life threatening but that kind of injury could be a career ender, at least as far as Tim's status in the field was concerned. All it would take is some nerve damage…

The door to the room they were sitting in opened, a room that the nurses had found it prudent to find for the team as their anxiety had sky rocketed not long after arriving at the ER and it had been disturbing both patients and visitors.

"Duck…" Gibbs stood, Abby still sticking to his side like she was glued.

The ME soon found himself surrounded by the members of his work family and he did his best to calm their fears, "They removed the knife in the OR and Tim is just being settled in a room, once he is then you can see him, but he's still drowsy from the general anaesthetic they gave him."

"Is he going to be alright?" Tony asked.

"The injury isn't life threatening Anthony, but the knife only narrowly missed the ulnar artery and the surgeon can't be sure at this stage if there's any damage to the median nerve. That's the nerve that gives sensation to the thumb, index finger and middle finger as well as half of the ring finger. It's also a nerve branch that controls the thenar muscles of the thumb. The thenar muscles help to move the thumb and give the opposable movement, allowing the thumb to touch the tips of the other fingers."

"So if that nerve has been damaged…"

"Let's not borrow trouble Jethro. We need to wait for him to recover from the anaesthetic and then allow the specialist to do tests."

"Ducky, I need to know worst case scenario here, just in case."

Sighing the ME looked at the group who all nodded their agreement, except Jimmy who knew exactly what it would mean for McGee, "If the nerve has been damaged then it will depend on the extent of that damage, but worst case scenario, Timothy would no longer be able to grip properly with his right hand as there would be a loss of sensation in the part of his hand that the median nerve supplies. There are, however, treatments that may allow him to regain limited use of his hand again."

"But not enough for him to go into the field?" asked Ziva.

"No, if he has suffered permanent nerve damage he wouldn't be able to return to active field duty. Please remember this is worst case scenario. When you see Timothy don't let your concern show, it will do him no good to worry at the moment," Ducky looked pointedly at Abby.

Before anyone else could say anything a nurse opened the door, "Doctor Mallard, Agent McGee is settled in his room so you can see him now. Doctor Roman asked me to remind you that he needed to rest so if he's asleep don't wake him."

"Of course not Meredith," Ducky smiled at the young nurse who returned the smile before leaving. The group then followed the older man out of the room to see Tim.

-NCIS-

Tim felt groggy and disconnected when he woke for the first time after surgery. A familiar voice soothed any fears though.

"It's alright Timothy, you're in recovery and the knife has been removed," Ducky rested a cool hand on the young man's forehead.

"Damage?" the injured man managed to vaguely ask the question that was uppermost in his mind, despite the fog.

"Don't worry about that right now Timothy. Are you in any pain dear boy?"

"No," replied Tim after taking a second to think about it. He had that floaty feeling that was provided by the really good drugs, a sensation that he was familiar with from his time in hospital after his car crash at sixteen.

"That's good lad. You'll be moved to a room shortly but you just rest."

"'K," Tim hadn't even really registered his surroundings through his partially opened lids before he closed them again and drifted off.

The next time Tim woke up the fog had lifted and he took a moment to take in his surroundings this time. A nurse was just pulling a sheet up over him, "Hello Tim, you might not remember me, but I'm Meredith, but you can call me Merry, I'm your nurse. How are you feeling?"

"Hospital?"

"That's right. Do you remember what happened?" Merry's brow furrowed in concern but was relieved a moment later when the confusion on her patient's face cleared as he remembered.

"Yeah. I stabbed a knife into my hand. It was a stupid accident," Tim grimaced as he realised that although the fog clearing was a good thing he'd also lost the floaty feeling, which meant he could now feel the throbbing in his right hand. Glancing over he saw the injured appendage in a contraption that looked a little like traction, but was actually just a support for his arm to keep it elevated. His right arm was resting in a type of sling which was then attached to a metal pole on his bed.

"That's right. The knife was removed in surgery by Doctor Roman, he'll by to examine you later but in the meantime all you have to do is rest. Now, you have some visitors waiting to see you, are you up for some friendly faces?" Tim wondered for a minute who she was talking about, who would be waiting to see him. The confusion must have been clear on his face because Merry spoke again, "Doctor Mallard is speaking to your family but he said they're all anxious to see you."

Family? Had Gibbs called his parents? They wouldn't have come just for this even if he had. It was doubtful that Sarah would be waiting to visit him as well given she was in the midst of studying for her end of year exams. Shrugging slightly and feeling uncomfortable under the nurse's scrutiny he decided it was easier just to agree, "Sure."

Merry smiled, checked his hand was securely fastened in the sling, tucked the sheets in and then left the room to get his visitors. Perhaps if his mind wasn't still a little clouded from the anaesthetic he would have realised that she had meant his team from NCIS, as it was he was clueless.

It was only a few minutes later that he got his answer. It _was_ his team. Why had the nurse referred to them as his family, he wondered. Mentally shrugging he turned his focus back to the team as they entered, led by Ducky.

"Timothy, good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he answered before turning his attention to Gibbs, "Boss, sorry…"

"Don't apologise Tim…"

"Right, sign of weakness."

"I was actually going to say that you had nothing to apologise for. Accidents happen Tim; the main thing is that you're OK."

To say that Tim was surprised that Gibbs wasn't angry about his no show to work was an understatement but before he could address it Abby was pulling him into a firm, but gentle embrace, conscious of the arm strapped to the metal pole, "I was so worried Timmy."

"I'm fine Abs," he tried to reassure her, though lying in a bed after having a knife surgically removed wasn't really fine.

"I doubt that Probie," Tony said as he gently clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder, "But I'm sure you will be."

"You gave us quite a fright McGee," stated Ziva as she kissed his forehead lightly, causing him to blush.

"It was stupid; I've cut up fruit a hundred times…" Tim had always been good at beating himself up, this time was no exception.

"Timothy, as Jethro said, accidents happen lad. Now, how are you really feeling?"

"Foolish," responded Tim before cringing at the dark look he received and answering the question that the doctor was really asking, "I'm alright Ducky, my hands throbbing a bit and having it up in this sling isn't particularly comfortable…"

"I would imagine not, but it will help keep the swelling down and it's only while you are in bed, once you're up and about it will be strapped to your chest," Jimmy chimed in from behind Ducky.

"Did I do any nerve damage Ducky?" Tim knew, vaguely, he'd asked the question before but the answer hadn't been forthcoming. A lump of worry was lodged in his chest. Yes, he was left handed, but nerve damage to his right hand could still be a career ender.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that…"

"No but I can," a deep voice from behind them interrupted the conversation. The group turned to look at the man who had just entered the room, he was African American and was wearing dark blue scrubs and was a good couple of inches taller than Tony. He carried himself with an air of confidence and authority, he moved through the group of people to the bedside of his patient, "Hello Agent McGee, I'm Doctor Roman; I carried out the surgery on your hand."

"Please, call me Tim," despite not being quite himself he was still as polite as ever and reached out his left hand to shake his surgeon's.

"Alright Tim, how are you feeling?" the deep voice was warm and gave Tim the sense that he was in very capable hands.

"My hands throbbing, but something tells me that I should expect that."

Doctor Roman gave a chuckle, "I'm afraid so Tim. Stabbing yourself in the hand with a knife is not a pain free experience."

"So, you said you could answer my question about nerve damage…?"

"I need to run some tests with you now that you're awake. If your visitors would like to go and get some refreshments…" although it was worded as a suggestion the tone told the group that he wanted time alone with his patient.

"Alright, you heard the Doc, everybody out," ordered Gibbs.

Tim wasn't so sure he wanted to be left on his own to hear whatever news might come his way, "Gibbs, could you stay, please?"

Gibbs was surprised that his youngest agent had chosen to ask him to stay, thinking he would have asked for Ducky or Tony, maybe even Jimmy, but he quickly covered the shock, "If that's alright with Doctor Roman…"

"Of course," the surgeon agreed. The support of family and friends was important during recovery and especially when there was a possibility of a less than positive outcome.

"Come on," Ducky encouraged the younger members of the team out in front of him; "You can buy an old man a cup of tea."

Gibbs smiled at his old friend gratefully and then turned his full attention back to Tim and Doctor Roman as the door closed behind the rest of the team.

"I know this is hard Tim, but I'm going to ask you to close your eyes and just do what I tell you. It's likely to be uncomfortable but to give you pain medication before I do the tests could affect the results. Any questions?"

"No, let's get this over with," he sighed as he nestled his head back into the pillows and closed his eyes.

"We'll start out with something simple," Doctor Roman said, taking a small implement out of his pocket, "Tell me if you can feel this," he touched the point to the tip of Tim's little finger.

"Yes."

"That's good, this?" He moved on to the next finger, another answer in the affirmative. Gibbs watched as the Doctor went through the same procedure on all five finger tips, getting a positive response each time. "Alright, that's good Tim. I'm going to take your arm out of the sling now so that I can test the sensations further down." Doctor Roman gently removed the arm from the sling. The only sign of discomfort that Tim showed was his left hand gripping tightly at the sheet covering him and a slight scrunching of his face.

Gibbs reached out and put his hand over Tim's, immediately the younger man turned his hand over and gripped his boss' hand and received a reassuring squeeze in return. This time the tip of the pointed instrument was dragged down the length of Tim's fingers and touched at points of his palm, away from the central injury.

"Alright Tim, you have a good amount of sensation in both your fingers and palm. A slight loss is to be expected due to trauma and tissue swelling but that is all looking good."

"But…?" asked Tim opening his eyes to look at his Doctor, his left hand unconsciously flexing in Gibbs'.

"There's one more test we need to do," Doctor Roman looked his patient in the eye, "I'm warning you now that I'm not expecting an especially great response at this stage and these tests will be carried out possibly multiple times so that we can see the level of improvement…"

"Or not," mumbled Tim.

"Hey!" Gibbs gave him a very gentle tap on the top of his head, "Doctor Roman has already told you that you have good sensation in your hand, that's more than we expected so early on!"

"We can leave this last test until later if you'd prefer, but it will give me a baseline to work from."

"No, let's just do it. The sooner I know what I'm up against the better."

Gibbs sighed at the slightly defeated tone in his agent's voice, but the Doctor just gave a small smile of understanding. Clearly he was used to this response in his post-operative patients.

"I want you to try to bring your thumb towards your fingers. Remember you've just had a knife surgically removed from your palm, so the movement will be restricted," warned Doctor Roman.

Tim pulled in a deep breath and started to move his thumb in, the moment he moved it a bolt of pain shot across his palm and his grip on Gibbs' hand tightened without him even giving it any thought, but he persevered and managed to bring his thumb in line with his index finger before the pain became too much. Sweat beaded his forehead and his eyes watered.

"Excellent!" the surgeon was full of enthusiasm.

Tim shot him a doubtful glare and through the throbbing in his hand asked, "Really?!" how could anyone think that such little movement with so much pain was a good thing?

"Tim, I know it's difficult for you to believe, but the fact that you could move your thumb _at all_ is a good sign. You're only a few hours post-op so there's a good chance that the only thing stopping you moving the thumb further is the pain generated by the wound, not by nerve damage, although at this stage its possible there is still some, we won't know more until your hand has healed further."

"Great, waiting, that's something to look forward to!"

Gibbs bit back a smile at his usually level headed and unflappable agent with his now grouchy countenance. He was pretty sure laughing at Tim wasn't going to help.

"I'm going to put your arm back into the sling and reattach it to keep it elevated now," Doctor Roman told him, before taking the injured appendage and gently strapping the sling back in place, making sure that the whole hand was fully supported, "How's the pain?"

"Peachy."

"Tim!" Gibbs reprimanded but considering that Tim still had a firm grip on his hand he had a good idea just how much pain the younger man was in.

"On a scale of one to ten, one being nothing, ten being excruciating?" Doctor Roman was unfazed.

"Five."

"Hey! My fingers going blue here tell me you're lyin'!" Gibbs pointed to their still joined hands. Tim sighed; he hated admitting to what he saw as a weakness in front of his boss. He should have asked Ducky to stay, but Gibbs would understand how much a bad result on these tests would affect Tim's life better than anyone, "Tim, don't be stubborn. If you're in pain then you need to admit to it and let the staff here help you. Admitting you're in pain doesn't make you weak."

"Your Dad is right," Doctor Roman hadn't waited to be introduced so had just assumed that the grey haired man was his patient's father not registering that the man in the bed had referred to him as Gibbs, "Being in pain is counterproductive to your recovery."

Gibbs felt his heart skip a beat at being referred to as Tim's father. Out of all of the team Tim was probably the only one that didn't see himself as one of Gibbs' 'kids', but that just wasn't true. He was as much a part of his family as any other member of the team; he just didn't seem to need the same level of support as the others. Things were different this time, he did need Gibbs to step up for him and he was damn well going to do it, Tim's stubborn streak be damned!

"Er, he's not my Dad, he's my boss."

"Doesn't matter, he's still right!" Doctor Roman didn't miss a beat.

"Fine. Eight."

"I'll get you some medication to help."

"Thanks. So, when can I get out of here?"

Gibbs rolled his eyes and Doctor Roman chuckled but answered, "You'll be our guest for at least twenty four hours. When you're discharged you'll need to have help at home because you won't be using your hand for a while no matter what the outcome of the tests. It will also be necessary for you to come back and see me for further tests as well as one of our physical therapists."

"I suppose I could ask Sarah to come and stay, but she's studying for her exams…"

"You'll be coming to stay with me," Gibbs stated.

Doctor Roman had slipped out and requested the medication for his patient while the two men discussed the details.

"I… What? No, Boss, that's not necessary."

"It _is _necessary."

"What I meant was you don't have to do that. I'm sure Sarah won't mind or I can call my parents…"

Gibbs saw the brief look of reluctance at the mention of his parents but put that to one side to deal with at a later date, "I know I don't _have_ to McGee, I _want_ to."

Doctor Roman came back into the room with a syringe and interrupted any further discussions, "Here you go," he told his patient as he slipped the liquid into Tim's IV port, "This should help with the pain. If you need anything press the call button. I will see you again tomorrow, in the meantime if you think of any questions let the staff know and they'll page me."

"Thanks Doctor Roman," Tim briefly remembered his manners, despite still feeling out of sorts. The door closed behind the doctor and the two men were left alone once more.

"I meant what I said Tim, you're coming to stay with me."

"What about Jethro?"

"I have a yard that I'm sure he'd be more than happy to explore," Gibbs pointed out reasonably as Tim yawned, "How about we table this discussion and you get some sleep?"

"Hmmm, OK," agreed the younger man, more affable with the strong pain medication now running through his system.

Gibbs grinned as he watched him trying to get comfortable, snuffling with frustration as he tried, unsuccessfully, to lie on his right side because the movement caused the pillow under his right elbow to shift. Walking round to the other side of the bed Gibbs adjusted the pillow, holding it in place until Tim got comfortable and then pushed some hair out of his face.

"Thanks Boss," mumbled Tim sleepily.

"You're welcome Tim, now sleep!" he ordered, turning to leave the room to allow him to do just that.

"Boss," the voice was muffled and sleepy, "I'd be proud to have a Dad like you."

Gibbs halted, his heart once again skipping a beat at the words. He wondered what kind of relationship Tim actually had with his own father. Turning back to the bed, he adjusted the sheet over the now slumbering man, sure that if he hadn't been under the influence of drugs he wouldn't ever have spoken those words out loud, "Any Dad would be proud to have a son like you Tim," he whispered, placing a hand gently on Tim's face before adjusting the sheet once more and leaving the room.

-NCIS-

"Abby, will you please calm down?" begged Tony for what was probably the fiftieth time in the last half hour.

"They should have been here by now!"

"I am sure they have just been delayed in traffic Abby," Ziva tried to reassure the Goth who was bouncing from sitting on the couch to staring out the front window of Gibbs' house.

"It was pretty bad this morning," agreed Jimmy as he walked out of the kitchen.

"Oh, oh, here they are," she squealed before making a dash for the door, only to be caught in Tony's arms and prevented from diving headlong out into Gibbs' driveway, "TONY!"

"Abby, Tim has been in hospital for two days on heavy medication, I'm pretty sure between that and the fact his right arm is strapped to his chest, he is in no shape for an Abby Sciuto special hug!"

Abby stopped fidgeting in Tony's arms, "I know," she sighed, "I'm just happy that he's out."

"Then let us go and greet him calmly, shall we?" suggested Ziva, taking Abby's hand and pulling her from Tony's embrace. At least if she got carried away when she set eyes on the injured man Ziva could now control her movements.

"Thank you," mouthed Tony, relieved not to be dealing with the hyper woman any more.

Tony hurried forward passed Jimmy, Ziva and Abby as he saw Gibbs trying to help Tim get out of the car, "Here Boss, let me get him," he called out, "Perhaps you could make sure Abby stays calm," he whispered as he approached the two men.

"Ah, is Abigail a little excitable?" Ducky chuckled.

"Just a little!" grumbled Tony as he turned his attention to his youngest team mate, "Hey McGoo, how's it going?"

"'Lo Tony," Tim's glassy eyes met Tony's clear ones.

"Ah, they gave you a shot of the good drugs before you left then?" chuckled Tony as he reached into the car and linked his arm under Tim's left to pull him to his feet.

"They didn't have much of a choice after they put him through more tests," growled Gibbs, steadying Tim from behind as he stood.

"Let's get him in the house and up to bed Jethro," Ducky suggested, leading the way inside.

"Aw, can we at least say hello Ducky!" pouted Abby.

"Keep it brief and _gentle_ Abigail. Our young man is quite worn out."

"Not to mention drugged up," added Tony.

"Hey Timmy," she moved forward, finally able to pull free from Ziva at a nod from Gibbs. She leaned forward, bracing herself on his good arm and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey Abbs," he smiled dopily at her before turning to Ziva and Jimmy, "Guys."

"McGee, it is good to see you out of the hospital," Ziva smiled warmly.

"Hey Tim," Jimmy greeted, not sure what else to say. It didn't really look like the conversation was being tracked that closely anyway.

"Come on lad, up to bed with you," Ducky turned him gently as Tony supported him up the stairs after Gibbs had disengaged Abby from Tim's arm.

"You can see him again later Abs, give him some time to rest," he told her, kissing the top of her head before following the other three men up the stairs.

A short time later the team, minus a sleeping Tim, were gathered in Gibbs' living room. Their voices quiet in deference to the injured man. Woe betide anyone that woke him because they'd have Gibbs to deal with.

"What took you so long to get home Gibbs?" asked Abby from her spot snuggled up to his side.

"Doctor Roman wanted to do another set of tests," Gibbs told her.

"Hence the reason Timothy is now out for the count. Not all of the tests cause a lot of pain but the one where he is asked to move his thumb towards his fingers causes him a great deal of discomfort. Doctor Roman was kind enough to provide a shot of morphine to get him through his first hours at home…"

"Kind my ass," grumbled Gibbs.

"… and we have Timothy's prescriptions for further pain medication and antibiotics already filled and waiting for him," Ducky informed the group ignoring Gibbs completely. He'd had to watch the hackles rise when Doctor Roman insisted on carrying out the most painful test already; he didn't feel like reliving that particular part of the morning.

"What was the outcome of the tests?" asked Jimmy.

"Doctor Roman was very pleased with Tim's progress, even in just a couple of days. He is pretty confident that if there's any nerve damage it's minimal."

"Pretty confident?"

"Anthony, we won't know for definite until Timothy's wound has healed sufficiently for full movement but he is scheduled for a check-up with Doctor Roman next week and if all is well he will then be scheduled for physical therapy. At this stage there is no reason to doubt that Timothy will regain full use of his right hand."

"So he will be able to return as field agent?"

"Yes, Ziva, he will. The movement that he already has in his thumb is quite amazing considering the damage done. He is already almost able to touch his middle finger."

"How long before he can return to work?" asked Tony, eager to get his Probie back where he could keep a watchful eye on him.

"It will depend on his appointment with Doctor Roman next week, but hopefully he will be able to return to desk duty after that. It will probably be another couple of weeks after that before he'll be allowed back in the field."

The team relaxed, the knowledge that Tim _would_ rejoin them eventually enough to settle down any remaining nerves. Yes, there may still be some minor damage but it seemed that it wouldn't be enough to stop Tim's return.

-NCIS-

"Is he here yet?"

"No, Tony, he is not!" replied Ziva, "And if you ask me one more time what is clearly obvious I will find new and inventive ways to kill you with the office stationery!"

"But…"

"Is he here yet?"

Ziva managed to prevent herself from screaming, but it was a near thing, "No, Abby, he is not, will you both just please be patient!"

"Doesn't anyone have any work to do round here?" growled Gibbs coming round the corner, trying to hide a smirk of amusement.

"Aw come on Boss, how can we work when we're waiting to find out if McAbsent is coming back to desk duty today?"

"I dunno DiNozzo, maybe because it's your _job_!"

"But Boss…"

"Don't whine Anthony," Ducky told him as he came up to the group, "Mr Palmer called and said they're on their way up."

Tim was still not allowed to drive so Jimmy had offered to take him to his appointment with Doctor Roman and then drive him to the Navy Yard so he could see his team, no matter the outcome.

_Ding_ – the elevator chiming had all five heads swivelling to see their team mate, who for once was giving nothing away as he approached them.

He stood before them, a blank expression on his face. Gibbs scrutinised him, trying to read the outcome in his eyes, that's when he noticed the twinkle in them. Tim's eyes always gave him away but since Gibbs knew he was probably the only one looking that closely, except maybe Ducky, because the others were too impatient he just asked, "Well Tim?"

The man in question pulled a letter out of his jacket pocket and offered it to Ducky with a flourish. The ME took the letter and read it, not giving anything away as the eyes of the rest of the team were focused on him.

"Oh Timothy," Ducky's voice caused everyone's hearts to stop, except Gibbs who had turned away and was smiling, "Welcome back lad!" he pulled Tim into a hug before relinquishing him into the unmerciful hugs, backslaps and teasing of his team.

Gibbs turned and spoke quietly to his friend, "Nerve damage?"

"A slight loss of sensation in the centre of his palm, but so minimal it's hardly worth mentioning."

The two older men turned back towards the group huddle in the middle of the bull pen, ignoring the looks of the other agents, and watched as one of their own was welcomed back.

Tim looked over Tony's shoulder as the older man pulled him in for yet another hug and he caught Gibbs' eye, "Thank you," he mouthed before pushing away from Tony only to be engulfed in another Abby rib crushing hug.

Gibbs just smiled. The team was whole again.


	2. B is for Balcony

**DISCLAIMER: I am not repeating myself, see chapter 1!**

**A/N: I am so pleased with the response this has received! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing and alerting. I'm sorry this one took so long to publish but as you can see it's quite long and I kept finding plot holes that I needed to fill in! I must take this opportunity to state I am not good with computers so if you see something that isn't possible... it's fiction! x**

B is for Balcony

It had just gone ten at night on a Saturday and Leroy Jethro Gibbs decided it was time to send his team home. They'd been working for over eighteen hours a day for the last five days and he finally decided that enough was enough, it was clear that this case wasn't going to be solved easily and his team needed a full night's sleep.

"Alright, pack it in. I want everyone back here for 08:00 tomorrow!"

Two members of his team looked at one another, then back to their boss. Tony DiNozzo was the first to start shutting down his computer, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth; Ziva David quickly followed suit. The pair grabbed their gear and bade Gibbs and their partner, Tim McGee, a good night before making good their escape.

Tim had kind of heard his boss order them to pack it in, but there was a thread of something. He couldn't put his finger on it but he was definitely missing something. Despite staring at his screen that something continued to evade him.

"McGee!" barked Gibbs, moving out from behind his own desk and over to his youngest agent's when he still got no response, "McGee!" this time he emphasised the name by slapping a hand on Tim's desk, causing the younger man to jump slightly in his seat.

"Boss?" Tim looked up slowly at the man now standing by his desk, leaning into his personal space.

"I said pack it in for the night."

"I just have…"

"No, Tim, just nothing. We've been working long hours on little sleep…"

"But Boss, there's something I'm missing, I just can't quite put my finger on it!" protested Tim.

"That is precisely why you need to go home and get some rest. Start again tomorrow with fresh eyes. And Tim, I do mean go home, not down to Abby's lab to sleep on her futon again!"

Tim sighed; he knew his boss was right, but he didn't necessarily have to like it, "Yes Boss," he carefully saved his work and shut down his PC, "Night," he called to Gibbs as he grabbed his gear and headed for the elevator.

"Night McGee. I don't want to see you before 08:00 tomorrow, you hear?"

"Yes Boss," he repeated before stepping onto the elevator. Once the doors slid closed he leant against the side and closed his eyes. Gibbs was right, he was so tired he could barely see straight, but the whole team were working long hours, not just him. If pushed he would admit that the computer work on this case was a little more intensive than usual, keeping him tied to his desk while Gibbs, Tony and Ziva were out in the field tracking down any leads that he was coming up with. Sadly all those leads were turning into dead ends, both literally and figuratively something Tim just didn't understand.

-NCIS-

The previous Tuesday morning Gibbs had told the team to gear up, a dead Marine Lieutenant had been found in a back alley in downtown DC. Not exactly a regular occurrence as such, but nothing out of the ordinary either. Once on scene Tim had been authorised by Ducky to use the portable finger print scanner which immediately confirmed their dead Lieutenant as Jon Hone, which was good because that was what the ID he had on him stated.

"Lieutenant Jon Hone, aged twenty eight, single, no dependants. Both parents deceased. I can't find any details of any living relative," Tim supplied as he searched the system on his phone for the Lieutenant's personal information. Tony was sketching while Ziva took photographs. Once he had given Gibbs the minimal information that he could get without being at his desk Tim started bagging and tagging the evidence, which actually wasn't much.

"Time and cause of death Ducky," Gibbs wanted to know.

"I would say this poor young man expired between midnight and one AM, Jethro. As for cause of death, I would hazard a guess that he bled to death from one of the three knife wounds in his torso. I will of course be able to tell you more once I get him home. Mr Palmer…"

"Coming Doctor Mallard," his assistant hurried forward to help get the body into a bag and onto the gurney.

"This is very clean for an alley, is it not?" asked Ziva.

"I was just thinking that," replied Tim, "It looks like it was recently cleared."

Gibbs looked around and had to agree with his agents' assessment. The normal detritus of abandoned rubbish was missing. There were the usual dumpsters for the businesses that backed on to the alley, but no sign of the usual mess he would expect to find.

"Perhaps the alley was cleared by whoever killed our LT," stated Tony, "Maybe they put something into one of these dumpsters," he grinned wickedly at Tim, "Probie gets to go dumpster diving!"

Tim opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Gibbs, "Actually DiNozzo, I want Tim to finish bagging and tagging what he can see and get it back to Abby for her to start work on, then…"

"Find out as much information as I can about Lieutenant Hone, got it Boss," Tim actually tried not to grin with glee at getting out of the dumpster diving, but didn't really succeed.

"Then I guess it will be our little Ninja chick," Tony glanced at Ziva, who glared at him. Honestly if looks could kill the Senior Field Agent would drop dead at least half a dozen times a day.

"Ziva, you're with me," Gibbs broke in before any threats could be made to Tony's person, "I want you to canvass the businesses on the right side of the alley, I'll take the left," he then turned to Tony with one of his barely noticeable half smirks, "DiNozzo…"

"Dumpster diving," sighed Tony, "On it Boss."

"Watch out for any rats there Tony," chuckled Tim as he put the little evidence he had collected into a box and picked it up.

"Hahaha McNotFunny," if Tim had been within reach Tony would probably have head slapped the younger man, but as it was all he could do was glare.

Tim turned his attention away from the SFA and headed out of the alley, not in the least bit bothered by his attempt to intimidate. At the entrance he stopped and looked across the road, "Boss…"

"What is it McGee?" asked the Team Leader coming to stand next to his agent.

"A couple of the businesses across from the alley have security cameras; do you want me to get the footage before I head back to the Yard?"

"No, head back. I'll get it and bring it in," he handed Tim the keys to the agency sedan that he had driven over in and he would go back in the NCIS van with Tony and Ziva.

McGee took the keys and nodded before securing the evidence in the trunk, getting behind the wheel and driving off, leaving the rest of the team to finish processing the crime scene.

-NCIS-

"Well what you got for me McGee," demanded Gibbs as he came sweeping into the bullpen with Ziva on his heels and an unusually quiet Tony.

"Lieutenant Hone has no living relatives," Tim put the man's service record up on the plasma, "He joined the Navy right out of college. There are no issues noted on his service record, nothing really stands out about him. I'm running his financials and phone records at the moment."

"Ziva, track down his CO. DiNozzo, go shower," Gibbs smirked as he watched his SFA sidle passed him and move towards the back elevator so that he could get to the locker rooms.

"Did you find anything else?" Tim asked as he glanced at his computer before looking back.

"Plenty of trash in the dumpsters that will need to be gone through," Ziva watched as Tim looked nervously at Gibbs hoping he wasn't about to be ordered to go and pick through the trash. She decided to take pity on him, "Abby is going to go through it and check for anything that may relate to our crime after she has got the tests running on the knife that Tony found."

"He found the murder weapon?"

"Looks like it," Gibbs responded before settling at his own desk.

Silence descended over the team as Tim continued to go through the financial records and Ziva made multiple calls to track down Hone's CO. The silence was only broken when Tony returned a few minutes later as Gibbs ordered him to start trying to locate any friends that Hone may have had outside of the service.

An hour later Ziva had finished her phone calls, "Colonel Johnson, Lieutenant Hone's CO, is at Quantico, along with the rest of his platoon."

Gibbs was about to order Tony and Ziva to go and talk to the Colonel when a noise from Tim's desk stopped him.

"Huh…"

"McGee?"

Tony and Ziva shared a glance before turning their attention back to their team mate who after making his little huff had begun typing more furiously than he had been previously. They pushed back from their desks and joined their boss standing in front of the younger man's desk.

Gibbs was not known for his patience but he also knew better than to interrupt his computer specialist when he was pulling the face that he was at that moment. It was the face that said he was on to something and just needed a little more time before he had the information to satisfy any questions his boss may have.

"Boss…" Tim glanced up and pushed his chair back slightly, not expecting to see his three team mates standing in front of him.

"What ya got McGee?"

"This," he put a form up on the plasma screen for them to see, "An offshore account with two hundred thousand dollars in it. A payment of fifty thousand pounds was paid into this account for the last four months."

"Who's been making the payments?"

"That's the problem Boss; I can't tell at the moment, the account is in Panama. Without a warrant…"

"And even then they may not give us what we need," pointed out Tony. As Federal Agents they were all too aware of the fact that although offshore banking was more transparent since 9/11 there were still some countries that seemed immune, Panama being one of those countries.

"I'll speak to Vance and see if there's anything he can do," Gibbs stated before making his way up the stairs to the Director's office, "McGee, with me."

-NCIS-

When Gibbs and McGee returned to the bullpen the Team Leader didn't look too happy. Tim quietly slid into his desk and checked the searches he had left running.

"How'd it go?"

"Vance has got legal trying to get us a warrant."

"He has? Then what took so long?" Tony blurted out before he could think about who he was asking. He looked across at Tim who just shook his head.

"DiNozzo, David, go to Quantico and speak to Hone's CO."

"On it Boss!" Tony quickly grabbed his gear and was followed to the elevator by Ziva, relieved to be getting out of the bullpen.

Tim didn't even look up as they left. He may not be able to see where the money had come from but he was going through the phone records and checking out who the numbers belonged to in the hope that a name would come up to give them a lead on who had killed the Lieutenant.

It was about an hour later when someone from legal showed up with a warrant. Gibbs took it and immediately gave it to McGee. He was on the phone for over an hour trying to convince a low level manager, then a director, then _the_ director that the information they held on the Lieutenant's account was critical to his murder investigation. He faxed the warrant over which just caused the director to scoff and tell him that they would not be dictated to by the American Government; then he hung up.

McGee looked at the phone in his hand and then over at his boss; Gibbs took one look at him and knew that they would have to get their answers another way.

"Plan B," Gibbs told the younger man, who simply nodded before disappearing down to Abby's lab to work from the computer in her secure office.

-NCIS-

Tony and Ziva returned to the bullpen late that afternoon, "Where's McGee?" asked Tony as he dropped his gear behind his desk.

"Working DiNozzo. What ya got?"

"Colonel Johnson said that Lieutenant Hone was a well-liked member of the platoon. He worked well with everyone, had no enemies but though a good officer there was nothing exceptional about his performance. He was just an average Marine." Ziva told Gibbs.

Tony winced at the comment about an average Marine, pretty sure there was no such thing; he quickly spoke before Gibbs could say anything, "The members of the platoon said that he didn't appear to have any friends outside the Marines. When they were Stateside he would spend time hiking or would hang out with others from his squad."

"He wasn't particularly close to one individual. Never threw money or his rank around."

"Basically you got nothing?"

"Not a thing Boss," Tony's shoulders drooped.

"I have!" McGee all but ran into the bullpen before putting a picture up on the plasma, "Meet Lieutenant Hannah Jefferson, also twenty eight, no living relatives, lives alone off base when not deployed. She is part of a different platoon but in the same company as Lieutenant Hone…"

"Why are you telling us about her McGee?" Tony interrupted.

"I was getting to that DiNozzo!" Tim rolled his eyes, "She is also responsible for the deposits into Hone's offshore account and has the same amount of money in her own."

"Where the hell did she get that kind of money?"

"Boss," he ignored Tony's question, "Here's her current address. Plan B is going to be needed here as well. The payment was made from another offshore account in Panama…"

"Tony, Ziva, go and pick up Lieutenant Jefferson and bring her in for questioning. McGee, take a break."

"But Boss…"

"You haven't had a break since you went down to Abby's lab," Gibbs scowled at his youngest, knowing that when he got involved in computer work he had to be reminded to eat, "DiNozzo brought back some food, take some down to Abby, eat, if we can't get anything out of Lieutenant Jefferson then we'll use plan B, but only then. Got it?"

One look at the raised eyebrow had McGee complying, "Thanks Tony," he nodded at the older man before grabbing the bags that had been left on his desk and disappearing back down to the lab. Tony and Ziva had watched the exchange in amusement.

"You still here?" the eyebrow was turned on them.

"Going Boss," Tony once again grabbed his gear and walked with Ziva to the elevator.

-NCIS-

"Are they back yet?" asked Tim as he entered the bullpen a short time later.

"Not yet…" anything else he was going to say was cut off by Gibbs' cell ringing, "Gibbs…"

"_Boss, we won't be getting any answers from Lieutenant Jefferson."_

"Isn't she there?"

"_Oh she's here alright Boss, but she's dead!"_

"Dammit! I'm on my way, I'll let Ducky know," he closed the cell as he stood up, grabbing his gun out of the drawer.

"Boss?"

"Plan B for Jefferson. She's dead."

Tim rubbed a hand over his hair, nodded and returned to Abby's lab again. It had taken him hours to hack into Hone's offshore account and then trace the payments back to Jefferson's, making sure that he didn't leave a trace of what he'd been doing. Now he had to do it all again, but this time on Jefferson's account. She had to have got the money in her own account and to pay Hone, from somewhere. It was going to be a long night.

Gibbs entered the lab a couple of hours later with evidence for Abby to log in and told her to go home once that was done. She protested but he wanted her to look at the new evidence with fresh eyes, so she reluctantly agreed. The Team Leader tried to get McGee's attention to tell him the same but Abby put a hand on his arm, "Don't disturb him now Gibbs. He needs to concentrate in order to get out clean."

Gibbs didn't really understand what she was talking about, but he trusted her judgement about computer work and if she said to leave him be, then that's what he'd do, for now at least.

It was just gone midnight when Gibbs ventured back down to the lab, Tony and Ziva hot on his heels wanting to find out what their partner had actually been doing all this time. The team, minus McGee, had processed the crime scene and then done a search of her phone records and cross referenced them with Hone's; something Tim would normally do but since he was busy with the financials it was left to Tony and Ziva. Gibbs interviewed Jefferson's CO himself but got pretty much the same story. Well liked, unremarkable and worked well with the rest of her platoon.

Tony started to laugh when they walked into the lab; McGee was sitting in Abby's office chair, well kind of sitting in it. He was actually sprawled with his backside barely on the seat, his head back and his mouth open, gently snoring. A glint of mischief entered the SFA's eyes as he thought of the best way to wake up the sleeping man, but it was extinguished with one look from the Team Leader.

"Go home, be back at 07:00," he ordered his two awake team members. They nodded and quietly left the lab. Gibbs smirked at his youngest; he had always looked so young but he looked even more so when he was asleep. He walked quietly over to him and gently shook his shoulder.

Tim snuffled and slowly opened his eyes, when he suddenly realised that he was still at work and his boss was shaking his shoulder he sat bolt upright, nearly falling off the chair! "Er, sorry Boss…" he stumbled over his words as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"You get anything?"

He looked at the screen that he had left running a program to search the name he'd managed to get from the offshore account. "Yeah, another Lieutenant; this time from a different platoon. Lieutenant Ryan Baker. It's the same thing again though Boss; another offshore account in Panama. Each account is left with the same amount of money, but obviously the initial amount is higher in the latest one, so instead of a payment of fifty thousand for the last four months, there's a payment of one hundred and fifty thousand. Baker then paid one hundred thousand into Jefferson's account, who then paid fifty thousand into Hone's. I'm going to need to do the same thing with Baker's account and hope that he's the last in the chain."

"Alright, give me the address. Tony, Ziva and I can go over there in the morning; you can start working on Baker's account. Now I want you to go home and get some rest."

Tim tore a piece of paper from Abby's notepad that she'd left on her desk and wrote the address down, handing it to Gibbs, "I'll start the search now…"

"No, you won't. You'll get some rest. That's an order McGee, not a request."

"Yes Boss, I'll just need to shut everything down in here, then I'll go."

Gibbs gave him an appraising look before nodding, "See you at 07:00," he called over his shoulder as he left.

Tim waited until he heard the ding of the elevator arriving and heard Gibbs' footsteps as he got on it before turning his attention back to the screen. There was no way he'd go against an order from his boss, but he could get some sleep on Abby's futon, shower and change in the locker room and be back to searching Baker's account first thing. Decision made he pulled the futon out from where it was stored, grabbed the blanket and pillow that Abby kept in a drawer, set the alarm on his phone, before settling down for a few hours' sleep.

-NCIS-

Tim was up, showered, dressed and back at the computer in Abby's office by 06:00. He had managed a good five hours sleep and felt refreshed. Hopefully this would be the last time he would have to hack into an offshore account; after all it wasn't exactly legal. He knew that Gibbs would go to bat for him and protect him if this blew up in their faces, but he still wanted to keep his hacking to a minimum. In fact Tim hadn't really wanted to do this from Abby's computer, although he could mask the IP address, he was worried that if something went wrong she could be blamed. There hadn't been much choice though as doing this up in the bullpen was too risky, especially as his monitor could be seen by people coming down the stairs from MTAC and the Director's office.

The ding of the elevator alerted him to the fact that someone was heading for the lab. He glanced up from where he was sitting as Gibbs swept in.

"Morning McGee," greeted the Team Leader as he placed a cup of coffee and a bag in front of his agent.

"Er, morning Boss…" he glanced at the coffee questioningly.

"Yes, McGee, it's for you," Gibbs rolled his eyes as he watched Tim take a sip of the beverage and close his eyes as he enjoyed the taste.

"Thanks Boss," he opened the bag and pulled out a breakfast burrito, still warm. His stomach rumbled in appreciation, causing him to blush slightly.

"You didn't go home last night," stated Gibbs.

Tim gulped. Everyone knew he couldn't lie, especially not to Gibbs, besides it had been a statement, not a question, "No, I slept on Abby's futon. I didn't do any more work after you left last night and I've only just started this morning."

"Uh huh," Gibbs nodded as he took a sip of his own coffee. He had known that McGee wasn't going to leave the Yard, but knew that he would get the rest he'd been ordered to at least so he wasn't concerned, at least not yet, "I'm taking Tony and Ziva to Lieutenant Baker's house. You get anything, you call me."

"Yes Boss," McGee almost sighed with relief at not being reprimanded for staying the night. Once Gibbs left he finished his breakfast and got to work on getting into Baker's account and tracing where he had been receiving the payments from.

-NCIS-

"This is getting ridiculous," growled Tony as he dropped into his chair, "Three dead Lieutenants in two days."

"Technically Tony it's three dead Lieutenants in one day, given Ducky's times of death," pointed out Ziva.

"Thanks for pointing that out Zeevah!" Tony rolled his eyes, "I wonder if McGoo got anything."

"Why don't you ask him DiNozzo?" Gibbs entered the bullpen after dropping the evidence from their latest crime scene off with Abby, McGee right behind him.

"I've got the name of the next person in what appears to be a chain," McGee told his team as he brought up yet another Lieutenant's service record on the screen, "Meet Lieutenant Rico Mendez. Same platoon as Lieutenant Baker. Again he has no living relatives, lives alone. I spoke to his CO and he pretty much said the same thing about Mendez as he did about Baker."

"So none of these Marines were going to set the world on fire, so to speak, but they were all good, solid soldiers?"

"Pretty much," agreed Tim.

"Then why in the hell did they each have two hundred thousand dollars in offshore accounts?" growled Tony.

"I don't think they did."

Tony looked at Tim with his mouth hanging open, "What? You're the one that's spent hours tracking down this money…"

"I know that. I'm not saying the accounts and money don't exist Tony, but I think the identity of the Lieutenants was being used for them, I don't think any of them knew about these accounts."

"What makes you say that McGee?" asked Ziva, curious as to what the man was thinking.

"I went through their standard bank accounts. Not one of them was a big spender, they each had a healthy amount saved given their ages and the Corps was their family. I looked into their family history, there's not even a hint of any of them being anything but good people, no skeletons in their closets. What were they being given this money for? Not one of them was in a position high enough up to be in possession of top secret information that could be sold."

"But why them and not one of the other thousands of Marines or sailors?"

"I don't know Tony. I just don't think they were actually the ones getting the money."

"Now we need to prove that," stated Gibbs, "McGee, give Tony the address for Lieutenant Mendez. DiNozzo, take Ziva…"

"Bring him in for questioning," Tony wearily grabbed his gear, "If he's still alive."

-NCIS-

Tim didn't know what was going on, but come Saturday he was ready to punch something. The whole team were frustrated. Lieutenant Rico Mendez wasn't at home and had been declared UA. There had been no signs of a break in or any other signs of a disturbance at his home. None of his fellow Marines had seen him since the Tuesday that Lieutenant Hone had been found murdered. McGee had continued to try to trace the offshore accounts back but it was taking longer and longer to do as he needed to vary his route into the accounts so that he didn't set a traceable pattern. He had managed to identify another two Marines, this time both had been Chief Warrant Officers and they had both been found dead.

"Timmy, you need to take a break," Abby said from behind him as she rested her hands on his shoulders.

"I can't Abs. I need to find the next one in the chain. I need to be faster!"

Abby grabbed the chair he was sat on and spun it round so he was facing her, "You listen to me Timothy, no middle name, McGee, this is not your fault!"

"Perhaps if I could find these names faster we'd actually be able to get to one of them alive Abby!"

"You can't blame yourself for this Timmy! You're working as fast as you can."

"She's right McGee," Tony said as he walked up behind Abby. He gave a nod of his head to her to indicate that he had this, "You've been putting more hours in than any of us and you're only one person."

"There are five dead and one missing Marine, Tony. Who knows how many more before I get to the end of this trail! We don't even know why they're being killed or what this money is for!"

"Tim, you're not listening to me!" Tony placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, "This is _not_ your fault! There are only so many hours in a day and you're doing all you can, we all are."

"I just need to spend more time on this."

"No, absolutely not! Don't think we don't know that you've been spending every night here Tim! You wouldn't lie to Gibbs so we know you've been getting some sleep, but I'm betting it's only a few hours each night. You can't go on like this; you have to get some proper rest!" Tony was interrupted from saying any more by his cell, "DiNozzo."

"_They've found Mendez's body."_

"I'm on my way," Tony closed the phone and saw the look on Tim's face and knew he'd heard. "You can't do more than what you are!" he moved his hand to squeeze the back of Tim's neck before leaving to process yet another crime scene with Gibbs and Ziva.

-NCIS-

That night the team gathered in the bullpen, including Ducky, Palmer and Abby. They ate dinner as they discussed the case. All six Marines had been killed in the same manner but with a different knife that had been left behind at the crime scene.

Tim had been ordered away from the computer by Ducky and then by Gibbs when he ignored the ME. He had tracked the next name in the chain, though it still wasn't the final name and his computer was now running a search for William Cowen, aged thirty five years old, at least according to the information from his offshore account. Although they had the address that was linked to the offshore account they were waiting for the search to come back so they had more information.

Abby hadn't been able to find anything in the security camera footage at any of the scenes and there hadn't been any drugs or alcohol in their systems.

Ducky and Palmer had found no signs of defensive wounds on any of the bodies, indicating that each of them knew their attacker or at the very least was caught by surprise, not an easy thing to do with a trained Marine.

In between crime scenes and computer searches the team had been cross referencing everyone from the Company the six had been connected with, but with over four thousand five hundred names it was taking a while to go through and then background each one.

They were just clearing up the remainder of the food cartons from the Chinese they'd ordered when Tim's computer beeped to let him know it had found something. He stopped what he was doing and hurried back to his chair.

"On the plasma McGee," ordered Gibbs.

"Major William Cowen, single, no living relatives, same as before Boss," said Tim as he put the man's service record up on the screen, "Different platoon again, but same company. I've set up a search to cross reference his phone records with the other six Marines, but I suspect that we'll hit a dead end again with that."

"Alright, get us an address McGee…"

"Shit!"

The others exchanged surprised looks, Tim rarely swore. "What is it?"

"He was reported UA this morning," sighed Tim, "The report filed shows that MPs checked his apartment and found no sign of him. All his clothes are still in the closet and as far as they could tell there was no break in or anything missing. No signs of a struggle either."

"Alright, Tony and Ziva, get over to his apartment and process it," ordered Gibbs, "McGee I want you to check every single incoming and outgoing call made from either his cell or his home phone."

The three agents jumped to follow Gibbs' orders while Ducky, Palmer and Abby all returned to their own domains.

-NCIS-

Tim threw his keys down on the table in the hallway of his apartment, hung up his jacket and dropped his back pack in the closet there before going into the kitchen to get a drink. Gibbs had ordered everyone home to get some rest when Tony and Ziva returned from Major Cowen's apartment. He had refused to let Tim start another trace on the deposits being made into his Cowen's offshore account.

There had been nothing in the phone records, no matter how long Tim had stared at them but there had been something nagging at the back of his mind that he hadn't been quite able to grasp. Sighing he took a bottle of water from the fridge and went through to his bedroom. He quickly stripped out of his work clothes and decided on a shower before bed, hoping the heat would help relax him and enable him to get some sleep.

It was around 03:00, his sleep restless and plagued by dreams that he finally gave up and decided to get up and perhaps play a video game, hoping that it would take his mind off of the case. He booted up his PC and settled into his chair. That was when an idea came to him.

Ignoring his gaming icons he quickly clicked to open a spread sheet and listed the names of all of the Marines in one column, then their estimated times of death in another. Hone had died between midnight and 01:00 on Tuesday; Jefferson also on Tuesday but between 13:00 and 15:00; Baker had also died on the Tuesday, his TOD was between 17:00 and 18:00; Mendez, although not found until last had a TOD of Wednesday between 06:00 and 07:00; the fifth Marine, Warrant Officer James Joseph, died Wednesday between 21:00 and 23:00; the sixth and final victim, Warrant Officer Sarah Chambers, died Thursday between 09:00 and 10:00.

Looking at the list Tim felt a lump lodge in his throat and his stomach churn. It had taken him too long to trace Sarah Chambers from James Joseph's account and then even longer to trace Major Cowen. Of course if he'd made this comment to a member of his team, especially Gibbs, he'd probably have received a head slap, he hadn't just been hacking into the offshore accounts but had also been cross referencing phone records and doing backgrounds on other Marines. If he had spent all his time in Abby's lab during the investigation it would have looked too suspicious if someone suspected that they were getting their information in a less than legal manner, so he had to spend time up in the bullpen doing 'regular' work with his team.

As he stared at the list something stirred in his mind, he concentrated on the times of death; something about those times was causing his gut to churn. He entered a new column on his sheet, one that detailed the time he had started the investigation into each offshore account and the time he'd finished it.

Once he was done one glance had him running for his bathroom to throw up any undigested food in his stomach. When he was finished he sat next to the toilet with his head resting against the wall. This _was_ his fault. Each of the TOD's was during the time he was hacking into the offshore accounts for that victim, with the exception of Hone. Somehow someone had known he was starting to look into the next person in the chain and not wanting to risk NCIS getting evidence that the person whose name the account was in knew nothing about it, they had murdered them.

He had to tell Gibbs; he pushed to his feet and steadied himself against the wall as he went in search of his cell. Opening the cell he saw that it was only 04:00. No, he wouldn't wake Gibbs up right now, he needed proof.

There must have been someone in the NCIS building who knew _exactly _what he was doing. Although they had talked about the accounts and the fact Tim had located the next person in the chain, nobody had said how he had done it while in the bullpen. The chances are someone had a backdoor into Abby's computer and had followed him, although he had done everything to cover his tracks he hadn't looked closer to home to make sure nobody was watching Abby's computer, something he was kicking himself for now. There was only one place in NCIS that would have the necessary programs to do what this person had done, other than the computers in Cyber Crimes; Tim's and Abby's, which was MTAC.

He immediately ruled out Cyber Crimes because they had to account for everything they did and were carefully monitored to ensure they weren't doing what Tim had been. The only way he was going to find out who had been doing it was to go into NCIS and access MTAC. If he could look at each of the computers in there he should be able to find proof. That was the joy of being asked to write the security protocols for a secure system, he knew every way in which information could be hidden and had written programs to place certain types of information on a hidden partition on the hard drive, all he needed to do was access each hard drive and he'd be able to see who had been doing what on the MTAC computers.

-NCIS-

Tim slipped into the building at around 05:00, signing in without any fuss as the guards were used to seeing agents, but especially members of the MCRT, coming and going at all hours.

Using the stairs Tim made his way up to MTAC, hoping that it was empty at this time on a Sunday morning. He knew that there were no operations planned that would require the use of MTAC and that one of the techs would be on call just in case but he was pretty hopeful that nobody would be there. If someone was there he'd simply tell them that he was in to do a systems check, which was something he did every now and then so would be believable.

Once outside MTAC he leaned forward to use the iris scanner and was immediately granted access. Looking around he found that the computers were powered into standby mode which meant nobody was currently using MTAC, relieved he made his way towards the first station, logged on and immediately inspected the partitioned hard drive.

There were five computers in MTAC and he was searching the fourth one when the door opened. Tim took a deep breath and turned to see the Chief Technician entering.

"Hey McGee, didn't know you were scheduled to be in here today," Walter Dobbs stated as he casually walked down the few steps.

Tim was immediately on alert, the way Walter was acting was a little _too_ casual for his liking, "I couldn't sleep, heavy case at the moment but I'm banned from working on it until later so figured I'd come and do a systems check."

"Oh yeah, what's the case about?"

"You know I can't talk about it outside of the team Walter," McGee gave the man a cautious smile as he closed down the fourth PC and moved on to the fifth and final one. None of the previous computers had shown anything so it would have to be this one, which of course was the last one, just typical!

"Well I'm going to have to ask you to stop what you're doing."

"Oh, why's that?" Tim paused in front of the final PC.

"I need to set up MTAC for a meeting in," he looked at his watch, "About an hour."

Like Pavlov's dog, McGee also looked at his watch, 06:30. He'd been at this an hour and a half. Just because he knew where the partition was didn't make it a quick job to get into it as he needed to make sure that nobody else would be able to tell what he'd been doing. Tim had a strong suspicion that the person he was looking for was stood in this room with him. The only question was did he know that Tim suspected it or was he just in early to check on anything Tim might have done the previous day.

"No problem, I can come back and finish later," Tim replied, grabbing his gear and, as nonchalantly as possible, walking passed Walter and out of the door to MTAC.

Walter allowed Tim to walk out of MTAC before following him, quickly he scanned the lower bullpen and noted that it was empty and then he charged at McGee.

Tim had just stepped through the doorway when he sensed that Dobbs was following him, a quick look around told him that he was on his own whatever was about to happen. The moment the other man made a move Tim sensed it and side stepped, dropping his back pack on the ground so he could use both hands to defend himself.

Dobbs may only be an MTAC technician but he was also an ex-Marine, though not as obvious about it as Gibbs, so it was a little known fact about him, that meant he was more than a match for Tim in hand to hand combat, that didn't stop the agent from putting up one hell of a fight. They traded blows, Dobbs managed to strike McGee on his cheek a few times, but Tim also managed to get in a few of his own to the other man's abdomen and a good strong hit to his jaw which was likely to leave a nice bruise. Both men were evenly matched in height but Tim was lean where Dobbs was broad. It may have been that on another day Tim could have beaten the ex-Marine, who was approaching his sixtieth birthday, but he was running on little sleep and the other man kept in shape, despite his age.

Tim managed another blow to Dobbs' face, causing the older man to step back, blood slowly running from his damaged nose. He quickly wiped the blood on his sleeve and decided enough was enough, with a series of kicks and punches he backed McGee up towards the balcony. Tim was concentrating on fighting back and hadn't noticed the danger; that was until Dobbs bent at the waist, grabbed him round his thighs and heaved him over the edge.

There was little time for Tim to register what had happened, he flung his arms out in a vain effort to save himself and just a second later his body hit the floor beneath the balcony. The shock of the fall and the pain that quickly registered in the Agent's body caused him to black out.

Peering over the railing for the balcony Dobbs gave a sinister smile, picked up the young agent's back pack and dropped it over the railing to fall beside him. Knowing he needed to keep the other man from being found in the near future and allow him to get away he strode down the stairs to the bullpen and pulled the fire alarm. The few people that were in the building would now evacuate. Naturally there were procedures in place for someone to check each of the floors but since Dobbs was one of the people that would do this if in the building he could tell security that the bullpen floor was clear, after he'd actually checked it of course.

Minutes later he was down in the lobby, "Bullpen level, MTAC and the Director's office are clear," he told the security guard standing at the checkpoint at the front of the building.

The guard looked at the signing in sheet in front of him, where one name remained unchecked, "What about Agent McGee?"

"Oh I saw him as he was heading out to grab some food," Dobbs shrugged.

"He hasn't signed out."

"I think he went through the evidence garage. You know what these Agents are like, anything to save time."

The guard rolled his eyes, "Yeah, alright," ordinarily he would have questioned Dobbs further but Agent Gibbs approached him so he turned his attention away from the MTAC Technician, who was then able to slip out of the Yard unnoticed.

"Report," barked Gibbs.

"A fire alarm was set off on the bullpen level Agent Gibbs."

"Any confirmation of an _actual_ fire?"

"No Sir, but you know as well as I do that we have to wait for the Navy Yard's fire team to attend. It does look like a false alarm though."

"Boss," Tony interrupted, much to the guard's relief.

"Fire alarm, probably false but need to wait for clearance to head back in," growled Gibbs. Not a patient man at the best of times, let alone when they were investigating a case of this magnitude. They were soon joined by Palmer, Ducky, Abby and Ziva.

"Where's McGee?"

Gibbs looked around, "Clearly he's not here yet Abby."

"Is that not his car in the parking lot?" Ziva wanted to know.

"Yeah, now you mention it I did notice the Porsche as I parked just now," agreed Jimmy.

"Hey," Tony called to the guard that was still standing at the front of the checkpoint area.

"Yeah?"

"Have you seen Agent McGee?"

The guard looked at his sheet, "He clocked in just before 05:00…"

"I'm going to kill him!" Gibbs stated gruffly, "Told him I didn't want to see him 'til 08:00."

"Have you seen him since the alarm?"

"No. One of the MTAC Techs said he'd gone for food…"

"But you didn't actually see him leave…"

"No, the Tech said he'd gone through the evidence garage, to avoid having to sign out and back in again."

"Probie? No way!"

"McGee would not do such a thing!"

"Timmy wouldn't do that, it's against the rules!"

"Enough!" Gibbs ordered, pulling out his cell and dialling his errant agent's cell. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail, "No answer. I'm going in…"

"Agent Gibbs I can't let you do that!" protested the guard.

"I'm going with you, Boss," stated DiNozzo.

"As am I," agreed Ziva.

The three marched across the space between the checkpoint and the front doors of the building, the guard protesting loudly.

"Oh, my dear boy, I wouldn't bother. Once Jethro's mind is made up I'm afraid there's no changing it!" Ducky told the guard with a smile.

"Do you think Timmy's alright?"

"I'm sure he's fine Abigail. You know how Timothy gets when he's working on something. He probably figured it was a false alarm and decided to keep working."

"Agent Gibbs will not be happy with him if he did."

"No indeed not," agreed Ducky, hoping that was all it was.

-NCIS-

"Ziva, check Abby's lab; DiNozzo, check MTAC, I'll check the bullpen."

The three split up. Ziva jogged down the stairs to Abby's lab but found it in darkness with no sign of McGee. She didn't linger and turned to go and meet her team mates at the bullpen.

DiNozzo and Gibbs carried on up the stairs, though Tony carried up another flight in order to reach MTAC via the back stairs rather than using the ones in the bullpen. The iris scanner allowed him access and he found the room empty. Exiting he stood at the balcony ready to call to his boss when something caught his eye, "Gibbs!" he yelled as he started running down the stairs taking them two and three at a time.

Gibbs entered the bullpen and found that there was no sign of McGee at his desk. He was just wondering where on earth his wandering agent could have got to when Tony shouted as he started running down the stairs. The two men met at the bottom and Tony carried on round to the small alcove the other side of the stairs from their desks. The still form of Tim McGee lay in a crumpled heap.

"Tim!" DiNozzo knelt next to his friend and tried to find a pulse without moving him.

Gibbs' own heart was in his mouth as he knelt next to his SFA, waiting to find out if his boy was alive, "DiNozzo?"

"I can't find a pulse!"

Gibbs quickly pushed Tony's hands out of the way as he reached for Tim's carotid artery. The relief of feeling a pulse was short lived when he thought about the possible injuries the young man could have.

A curse in Hebrew let Gibbs know that Ziva had found them, "Get Ducky up here, now!"

Ziva pulled out her cell as Tony pushed to his feet taking in deep breaths, trying to push the panic away. What the hell had happened? How was Tim, their gentle, honest to a fault team mate lying on the ground in their own building unconscious? Tony looked up at the balcony and almost gulped. Making sure that Gibbs was staying with Tim he hurried back up the stairs, Ziva hot on his heels.

"Tony?"

"Just a minute," he looked carefully at the ground and spotted what he'd been looking for, "Blood…"

Ziva swore again before pulling her back pack off her shoulders, since she hadn't yet had a chance to remove it, she thrust a camera into Tony's hands before donning a pair of gloves. Once Tony had taken pictures of both the blood and what appeared to be some scuff marks on the railing Ziva used some swabs to collect samples from the various blood spots that Tony had found.

"Boss," Tony called over the balcony, without leaning on anything, "It looks like there was a struggle up here, Tim must have…" he couldn't finish the sentence. To say out loud that his Probie had fallen from the balcony would make it true.

"Dear Lord, what on earth happened Jethro?" demanded Ducky as he came round the corner and saw Tim lying next to him.

"Not really sure Duck. Looks like he took a tumble over the balcony," replied Gibbs, his hand still pressed against Tim's carotid artery.

"Has an ambulance been called?"

"I called one Ducky," Ziva told him as she continued to examine the area around MTAC and down the stairs for further evidence.

"I left Mr Palmer with Abigail, she was quite distraught when she heard that I was needed to look at Timothy," Ducky told Gibbs as he carefully knelt down beside his friend. Gently he moved Gibbs to the side and started a brief examination. A groan dragged everyone's attention to their co-worker and family member.

"Timothy, you need to lay still young man," Ducky told him, hoping that he could hear him.

For his part Tim had started to become aware something was wrong when he felt a hand pressing against his neck. He could hear the voices of his team and Ducky, though they sounded distant somehow. Deciding to stay still until he could assess just what was going he thought about the last thing he remembered, briefly wondering if he'd fallen asleep at his desk. If he had Gibbs was going to kill him.

The case, the six dead Marines. Something had been off, what was it? He tried to move, to open his eyes, get someone's attention but pain throbbed through his body and he groaned. He heard Ducky's voice and tried to turn his head towards it.

"No Timothy, I need you to lie still," Ducky repeated as he saw the injured man try to move his head, "Jethro, hold his head, keep him still and calm."

"It's alright McGee," Gibbs told him he as he gently, but firmly, put his hands either side of Tim's head to hold it still.

"Wha… 'ppen'd?" he asked.

"Kind of hoping you could tell us that Tim," Replied Gibbs, "But that can wait, you just keep still, helps on the way."

Tim felt safe knowing his boss was with him. Did he have a reason not to feel safe? What _had_ happened? He tried to think back. He had come to the Yard early; he'd been in MTAC… That's it! He tried to move again, but the firm hands of his boss wouldn't allow any movement of his head and Ducky immediately prevented any movement of the rest of his body.

"Anthony, come and give us a hand. Ziva, make sure the EMTs know where to come," instructed Ducky as he tried once more to keep Tim from moving.

Both agents stopped what they were doing and hurried to do as had been requested. Tony gently placed his hands on Tim's legs to stop him from moving them too much, but tried not to put too much pressure on them in case he'd hurt them in the fall, "It's OK Probie, just keep still now," he tried to soothe.

"B's…" Tim peeled his eyes open slowly.  
"Right here Tim," he leaned further forward so he could be seen easily.

"Dobbs…"

"Dobbs?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Who's Dobbs?" asked Tony.

"The only Dobbs I can think of is the one that works in MTAC," replied Ducky.

"Hang on; didn't that guard say that one of the MTAC Techs told him that McGee had gone out to get something to eat through the evidence garage?" Tony recalled.

"Yeah he did," Gibbs continued to focus on Tim, "Let's keep the answers to yes or no, OK Tim?"

"'K."

"Did you fall from the balcony?"

Tim almost visibly winced at the words but tried to nod his head.

"Keep still Tim, just say yes or no."

"Yss," the word came out slurred, but understandable.

"Was it an accident?"

"No."

"Are you saying Dobbs, the MTAC Tech, did this?"

"Yss."

"The EMTs are here," Ziva informed them as she led two men over.

"That's enough for now Tim, don't you worry, we'll find him," Gibbs promised, "Now I need you to do what the EMTs tell you, OK?"

"'K."

"What's your name?" asked one of the EMTs leaning forward into Tim's line of sight as his partner spoke to Ducky.

"Tim."

"I'm Joe and this lady is my partner, Jasmine. We're going to take care of you but I need you to not move."

"'K." Tim registered that the man was tall and broad, at least in relation to where he stood talking to Ducky and his female partner. He had a mop of black hair but his eyes had been friendly. The woman he'd called Jasmine had dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, she looked slim and petite next to her partner, but nobody knew better than Tim McGee not to judge a book by its cover.

"Hi Tim," Jasmine knelt down next to him, "I'm going to put this collar on you to stabilise your neck, it's just a precaution," she informed her patient before briskly securing the collar, releasing Gibbs' hands from Tim's head. Tim felt the loss of his boss' presence keenly and tried to shift to see him, "No Tim, you've got to keep still!"

"B's…" the word was barely a whisper, but Jasmine could hear the distress.

"The man that was holding your head still?" Jasmine deciphered the word as best as she could and heard a barely coherent 'yes', "He's still here Tim." Gibbs had been talking to Ducky at the side when he caught the tail end of Jasmine's conversation with his agent, he looked up and she waved him closer, "Tim was wondering where you'd gone," she told him before turning her attention back to assessing her patient.

"Still here Tim, not going anywhere," he assured the young man as he once again knelt by his head, out of the way of the medics but still in Tim's line of sight.

Jasmine secured an oxygen mask over her patient's face as Joe slid a needle into his hand, "Alright Tim, can you tell me where it hurts?" the man asked.

Thinking about it Tim realised that he couldn't actually feel any pain at that moment. The pain that he'd felt on first coming round was gone, "No… pain."

"Alright Tim, that's good," assured Joe, exchanging glances with his partner that nobody else would be able to decipher. Of course nobody listening thought that feeling no pain after a fall of this nature was a good thing. The first thing to pop into everyone's head was 'spinal injury'.

"Tim, we're going to strap you to a back board. We don't know what you're injuries are and we're not going to take any chances. You let us do all the work though, OK?"

"'K." Tim had never felt less like talking so only having to give one word answers was fine by him, one letter answers were even better.

Shortly after Tim was secured on a back board and placed on the gurney then wheeled out of the building. He heard Abby squealing his name and expected Gibbs to go to her, but was pleasantly surprised when he remained beside Tim, right in his line of sight. Just behind his Team Leader he spotted the SFA moving off in Abby's direction.

"I'm going with him," Gibbs told the EMTs, clearly it wasn't a request.

"I should really go with him Jethro…"

"I told him I wasn't going anywhere Duck, I meant it," Gibbs informed his old friend.

"Very well, I shall follow shortly," Ducky acquiesced; he knew a losing battle when he saw one.

The gurney was loaded into the ambulance and once Gibbs was in Joe closed the door behind him and climbed into the driver's seat, switched on the lights and sirens and left the Navy Yard and the rest of the MCRT family behind.

-NCIS-

It was actually just over an hour later when Ducky, Palmer, Abby, Ziva and Tony entered Bethesda ER's waiting area and found the Team Leader sitting with his head in his hands.

"Boss?" Tony would deny his voice actually trembled.

"They're still running tests," responded Gibbs as he looked up.

"He's going to be alright though isn't he Gibbs? You didn't give him permission not to be, right?" demanded Abby.

Gibbs stood and held his arms open and the Goth ran into them, "I won't make any promises Abs, I can't."

"What are the doctors saying Jethro?"

"Not a lot Ducky. Tim lost consciousness again in the ambulance and they wouldn't let me stay with him. A Doctor Lambert did come out and tell me that he was being taken for some scans."

"Alright, let me see if I can find out any more," Ducky walked towards the reception desk and started speaking to the lady there, a few minutes later he disappeared behind the staff only doors.

In the meantime Tony told Gibbs that he had spoken to Director Vance and informed him of what had taken place. Vance had promised to call out Balboa and his team to locate Dobbs but agreed that any interrogation would be done by team Gibbs once he was apprehended. Gibbs had been so focused on his youngest agent that he hadn't thought about Vance or getting his hands on Dobbs. Now he thought about it though it was probably just as well Balboa was going to be the one tracking Dobbs down, the man might not make it to NCIS alive otherwise.

The team waited for what felt like hours to them, but was actually on about forty minutes, before Ducky returned with a female doctor beside him, "This is Doctor Lambert, she is Timothy's attending," he quickly introduced her to the agent's family.

"Tim is going to be moved to the ICU shortly…"

"ICU?"

"Please, let me finish," she glared at Tony who quietened down under the look that was worthy of Gibbs' glare, "The scans are encouraging. There is no sign of any bleeding or swelling round Tim's brain. X-rays have shown no breaks…"

"So he's going to be alright then?"

Doctor Lambert turned her piercing green eyed gaze onto the Goth, who quickly put a hand over her mouth and gave an apologetic look, "As I was saying, he has no broken bones, which is a minor miracle considering the fall. However we do have some concerns about a possible spinal injury. While none of the vertebrae appear to be damaged there is a sign of swelling around the spinal cord. I have sedated Tim to prevent him from moving around and we are administering anti-inflammatory medication to help reduce the swelling."

"Is he going to be paralysed?"

"It's too early to jump to any conclusions. I understand that Tim wasn't complaining of any pain after the EMTs arrived. This could have been as much due to shock as to the swelling around his spinal cord. We will keep him sedated and check the swelling with an MRI again tomorrow. Once the swelling has gone down we will be able to wake him and run the tests that will tell us if he has experienced any paralysis."

"What if he's paralysed Gibbs? What will he do?"

"Abby, you heard Doctor Lambert, we don't know anything yet, we need to just wait," Gibbs kissed her temple hoping to keep her calm.

"I'm afraid it is a waiting game for now. I'll keep you updated on Tim's progress."

"Can we see him?" Gibbs needed to see his agent, make sure he was still with them.

"Of course, a nurse will come and get you when he's been settled."

"Thank you Doctor Lambert," Gibbs shook her hand and watched her leave.

A short time later a nurse arrived to show them to the ICU. The six people were more than they would normally allow into a room at one time, but as this was the first visit the nurse was prepared to let it slide.

"You can all have a few minutes, but please after that no more than two in the room at any one time. We need to be able to get access to the bed," she smiled at them to take any sting out of her words.

"Thank you," Ducky looked at her nameplate, "Nurse Griggs, we appreciate it."

"He looks so frail," whispered Abby as she walked into the room, Gibbs right by her side.

"But he's not Abs, he's strong," Gibbs tried to assure her.

"Small muscles, big brain, heart of a lion," mumbled Tony as he stood on the opposite side of the bed, Ziva by his side. Nobody had to ask what he was referring to, they all knew it was something he had said when he was in Somalia to avenge Ziva's death, or at least her supposed death.

"Looks can be deceptive," stated Ziva, glancing up she caught the astonished looks of her co-workers, "Is that not how it is said?"

"Yes, Ziva, that is the correct saying," Ducky smiled at her, "You are quite right my dear."

They stood around the bed quietly lending their support to their injured family member for a few more minutes until Nurse Griggs cleared her throat behind them.

"Tony, Ziva, go back to the Yard and see if you can help Balboa track down Dobbs. Abby, I want you to go back to the lab and run the blood and any other evidence that was found…"

"But Gibbs…"

"No Abby, I'm going to stay with Tim, I need you to go and do your job. _Tim_ needs you to do your job. You know as well as I do his word isn't going to be enough."

"I'll come and help you Abby, I can go through the security camera footage that the Director is getting for you," offered Jimmy.

"Excellent idea Mr Palmer, I will stay and keep Jethro company," Ducky smiled proudly at his assistant for offering his help and also focusing Abby.

"You'll call if anything changes?"

"You know I will Abs," Gibbs pulled her into his side and kissed her temple.

Abby pulled herself up to her full height and pushed her shoulders back, "Alright Jimmy, let's go and find the evidence to bury Dobbs!"

"That's my girl!" Gibbs smiled as the two left before turning to Tony and Ziva as they went to follow, "If you find him then you follow Balboa's lead, you do it by the book, you got me?"

"Got it Boss," Tony wanted to beat the guy to a pulp as much as Gibbs, but he knew that Tim wouldn't want that.

"Yes Gibbs," replied Ziva.

The two left to catch up with Jimmy and Abby so that they could all go back together which would leave an agency sedan at the hospital for Gibbs and Ducky to use should they need to.

"I hate waiting Duck," sighed Gibbs as he pulled a chair over and rested his hand on Tim's arm.

"I know Jethro, me too," the ME agreed, "I'll go and see if I can find a coffee for you and a nice tea for me. Though why you insist that coffee is preferable to a nice Earl Grey…" the words drifted out of the room as the ME left to do as he had said.

Gibbs leaned forward so that he could speak softly into the sedated man's ear, "Alright Tim, you listen up, you will get better, I don't give you permission to do anything else but to fully recover from this. I know you can hear me so you fight no matter what!" Gibbs settled back in the chair, leaving his hand still resting on Tim's arm, hoping like hell that he was right and Tim would fully recover.

-NCIS-

The following morning Ducky entered Tim's hospital room and shook his head and smiled at the sight of Gibbs asleep in the chair next to his agent's bed. The older man's hand was still resting on Tim's arm and he snored quietly.

Ducky walked in and stood beside him, waving the cup of coffee under his friend's nose and laughed as he got the desired affect when Gibbs' eyes popped open, "Morning Jethro, I understand Timothy had an uneventful night," he waited for Gibbs to focus and then handed over the hot beverage.

"Morning Duck, yeah," the lead agent stretched, his back popping. He was getting too old to spend his nights in an uncomfortable hospital chair, "Thanks," he lifted the coffee and took a sip, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the flavour.

"I spoke to Doctor Lambert; she said that they're taking him for another scan in about an hour to establish if the swelling has decreased."

"What are the chances that it will have gone down?"

"Given the medication and care Timothy is receiving the chances are good. It's unlikely to have gone down completely but I'm hopeful that there will be some reduction."

Gibbs' cell chose that moment to vibrate in his pocket. He showed it to Ducky and hurried from the ICU to answer it. When he returned his face would have been a blank to anyone who didn't know him, to Ducky he could see the intense anger, "I gotta go Duck, they caught Dobbs."

"Then go Jethro, I'll be here with Timothy, he won't be alone," Ducky assured him.

Gibbs walked over to the bed and rested a hand gently on the top of Tim's head, "I gotta go and take care of some things Tim, but Ducky is gonna stay with you. I'll be back as quick as I can, I promise." He nodded to Ducky and left.

-NCIS-

Mid-afternoon found team Gibbs returning to the hospital. Ducky had called earlier to advise them that the scan had gone well and the results were encouraging, however Tim would remain in the ICU under sedation until the following day when another scan would be carried out. With Dobbs in an NCIS holding cell having confessed to everything under the intense pressure of an interrogation with Gibbs and Director Vance the team could now concentrate on their injured member.

Each of them spent some time with Tim before being chased home by Gibbs to get some rest since none of them had slept the previous night as they tracked down Dobbs along with Balboa's team.

"Jethro, you should go home as well."

"Not gonna happen Duck. I promised him I wasn't going anywhere. Already broke that promise once today…"

"And for good reason! Timothy wouldn't have wanted anyone else to question that man but he also wouldn't want you exhausting yourself."

"I'm staying Duck. See you in the morning," Gibbs made to settle in the chair.

"Stubborn fool," grumbled Ducky as he went in search of one of the nurses. When he returned he had an orderly with him who quickly set up a cot to the side of the room, "If you're going to insist on staying here Jethro, then I insist that you at least try to get some proper rest on that cot!"

Gibbs was about to protest but then remembered how stiff and sore he'd been that morning after sleeping in a chair, "Fine," he conceded, somewhat less than graciously.

"Good night Jethro."  
"Night Ducky and thanks."

-NCIS-

Tuesday morning dawned bright and sunny. Gibbs woke after a fitful night's sleep and immediately checked on Tim. It seemed hard to believe that the case they started a week ago had led to this situation and the fact that it was someone working within their building made it even harder to believe, though not impossible.

The door to Tim's room slid open and admitted Doctor Lambert who smiled at Gibbs and quickly checked her patient before speaking, "He'll be going for another scan shortly so now would be a good time to perhaps take a break, go and get some breakfast, maybe have a shower…"

"I'll go when you take him," Gibbs responded with his usual gruffness.

"Fair enough, it won't be long now," she nodded as she left the room.

True to his word when the orderly and nurse came to wheel Tim out for his scan Gibbs called Ducky who was already on his way. He met the ME in the hospital cafeteria for a quick breakfast before gratefully taking the bag the older man had brought for him with a change of clothes and some toiletries. A nurse was kind enough to allow him to use their locker room so he could freshen up and change. By the time he was done Tim was back in his room and Ducky was talking to Doctor Lambert.

"That is good to hear my dear, thank you. I will let his friends and family know," he smiled as the doctor turned away to carry on with her other duties.

"Ducky?"

"Ah Jethro. Good news, the swelling has all but gone and Doctor Lambert has stopped the sedative. Timothy should be waking up soon."

"Any permanent damage?"

"That we don't know yet, we need to wait for our young man to wake up so he can be assessed."

"I'm gonna sit with him, don't want him waking up alone. Will you call the team?"

"Of course Jethro," Ducky pulled out his cell and left the unit to make the calls.

Tim didn't stir for a couple of hours and in that time his team mates had been in and out, taking it in turns to sit with him and Gibbs, who had refused to leave. When he did finally stir Gibbs thought he'd imagined it at first, a slight twitch of the arm under his own hand, but then it happened again.

Gibbs stood up, "Tim?"

"Boss?" Tony joined him and looked down as his friend's eyelids fluttered open and closed several times, "Hey Tim," he rested his own hand on his shoulder.

Tim became aware of a hand resting on his arm first, as well as the annoying background noise of a constant beep. He chose to ignore the beeping and concentrate on the hand on his arm as he tried to open his eyes. When they wouldn't co-operate he tried to move his arm a couple of times, that's when he heard his name. Tim desperately wanted to see who was speaking to him and find out where he was but his eyelids weren't playing ball. Every time he prised them open they fluttered shut again. It took several attempts before he could get them to stay open and he finally saw a blurry Tony and when he turned his head slightly, still able to feel the weight on his arm, he realised Gibbs was there too.

"Hey," his voice was croaky from lack of use and his mouth was dry for the same reason.

"Here," Gibbs turned away from him before turning back with a cup in his hand with a straw, "Have a few sips of this," he held the straw as Tim took a much needed drink, "Tony, can you let someone know he's awake."  
"Sure thing Boss. I'll inform the others as well," Tony grinned happily before leaving to get a nurse.

"How you feeling Tim?"

"Tired. Fuzzy."

"I'm not surprised; you've been sleeping for a couple of days."

"Huh, what happened?"

Gibbs didn't get a chance to answer as Doctor Lambert entered the room, "Ah Tim, good to see you back with us," she smiled down at her patient who looked confused, "I'm Doctor Rebecca Lambert, I've been looking after you while you've been with us. How are you feeling?"

"Confused?" the response came out as a question.

"Understandable. Are you up to a quick examination and answering some questions?"

"Sure, I guess," he wanted answers himself but he figured if he let the doctor do what she needed to he might get them.

"Agent Gibbs, if you could wait outside."

"I'd like him to stay…" Tim instinctively reached for his boss to stop him from moving anywhere, "If that's OK?" he asked a little sheepishly. He was, after all, a grown up. He didn't really need his hand held, but it was good to have a familiar face in amongst the strangers.

"Of course, if that's what you want," Doctor Lambert smiled, used to patients waking up and needing reassurance.

"You don't mind do you, Boss?"

"No, of course not," Gibbs patted Tim's shoulder to reassure him.

"Alright Tim, what's the last thing you remember?"

Tim scrunched his face up as he sorted through his muddled brain. He went to NCIS… he was looking for something… Dobbs, he fought with Dobbs…

"Easy Tim," Gibbs soothed as his agent's breathing started to become more rapid, "You're safe."

"Dobbs threw me over the balcony at NCIS," Tim looked to Gibbs for confirmation.

"Yeah, that's right, he did. Don't worry we got the SOB!"

"That's good Tim. When you were brought in we found that you had no broken bones or head injury but there was swelling around your spine, so we sedated you and gave you medication to help reduce the swelling. Your latest scan shows that the swelling has almost completely gone," Doctor Lambert tried to give Tim the facts without worrying him too much.

"Am I… did I damage my spine?" he couldn't bring himself to ask about paralysis and was too afraid now to try and move his legs to find out. He knew he could move his arms but what if he couldn't move his legs.

"I need to do some checks, but first of all can you tell me if you have any pain?"

Tim thought about it for a moment and found that there was a constant ache in his lower back and he just felt generally sore; he shared this with the doctor.

"Alright, I want you to close your eyes for me," once he had Doctor Lambert uncovered his legs and started to touch Tim's feet, "Can you feel that Tim?"

"No," Tim felt a hand squeezing his, or was it him squeezing Gibbs' hand, he couldn't be sure but he was grateful for it at the moment.

"Don't worry yet," Doctor Lambert took a small instrument out of her pocket and pressed it into each of his feet, "That?"

"Yes," there was note of relief in his voice that he could feel something.

"Excellent," she continued up each of his legs, first touching with her hands and then using the small implement. It wasn't until she got to his thighs that he could feel her touch. She smiled and pulled the covers back over her patient's legs, "Well Tim you're starting to get the feeling back in your legs, which is great news."

"But I couldn't feel you touching my feet."

"Tim the effects of the swelling won't just magically disappear, it will probably be another couple of days before full feeling returns, but I'm confident it will. I'm going to arrange for you to be moved to a normal room and get one of our physical therapists to visit with you. They can advise you on what to do to encourage the healing process without over doing it. You mustn't try to push yourself because if you do then you could cause a setback, OK?"

"OK, thanks Doctor Lambert."

"You're welcome. Agent Gibbs, perhaps you could inform the rest of Tim's team of the news while we transfer him to another room? I'm sure they're all anxious to see him and they'll be able to do so once he's out of ICU."

"Yeah, alright. You going to be OK Tim?"

"Yeah Boss, thanks," he managed to give Gibbs a smile before the man left to go in search of the others.

-NCIS-

Two days later Tim was being wheeled out of the hospital and out to Gibbs' car, "You know you don't have to let me stay with you…"

"Tim!" growled Gibbs, "How many times do I need to tell you that I want you to stay at my place?" he gave his youngest the gentlest of head slaps as Tony brought the chair to a halt next to the car and locked the brakes in place.

"Yes Boss," Tim didn't know why he had to keep asking but it wasn't like he needed looking after, well not much anyway… OK he'd admit it, he needed some help, but he hated relying on others when he'd only relied on himself for so long.

Tony grinned as he opened the front passenger door, "Come on McWobble let's get you up!"

Gibbs stood on one side and put his arm under Tim's with Tony on the other doing the same. There was no doubt that Tim would fully recover now but the sensation had still not fully returned to his feet so he was still a little unsteady, not to mention sore from the myriad of bruises that covered his body as a result of the fall. The two men carefully manoeuvred Tim until they could lower him into the car and then Tim managed to lift his legs and settle himself comfortably.

"I'll see you at your place Boss," stated Tony as he took the wheelchair back and then headed for his own car not parked far away. He was going to swing by NCIS and pick up Ziva and Abby. Ducky and Jimmy were waiting for Gibbs at his house to help get Tim settled.

It was an hour later when Tony walked into the house with both Abby and Ziva on his heels, each was carrying a bag from the grocery store.

"What's this?" Gibbs wanted to know, "I did go grocery shopping you know. He's not gonna starve," he rolled his eyes.

Tony grinned and nodded towards Ziva, "Our ninja wanted to cook a nice meal for Tim's first day out of the hospital so we had to pick up provisions."

"Ziva's cooking?" asked Tim as he came into the room supported by Jimmy and Ducky. Tony quickly handed his bag to Gibbs as he took Ducky's place.

"Thank you Anthony," Ducky smiled. It wasn't that he couldn't manage Tim since he was quite slim now, but he knew that Tony desperately wanted to help his friend.

Tim was settled in an armchair, a blanket with a skull and crossbones motif on it, courtesy of Abby, draped over his legs. Gibbs and Tony got everyone drinks and they all settled in to the sitting room, glad to have Tim back with them.

Tim looked around at his friends, the people that he considered as much his family as his sister Sarah. In some ways it had been unfortunate that Sarah was on vacation in Europe while all this had been going on, but Tim was glad that his sister hadn't had to see him lying in that hospital bed. Gibbs had kept her updated and managed to persuade her that Tim wouldn't want her to cut her vacation short and as soon as he was able Tim spoke to her on the phone. She would be back in a week and Tim knew that she would hover for a couple of days to reassure herself that he really was in one piece and then it would be back to normal sibling rivalry!

He was also glad that he'd arranged for Jethro to go into a kennel on the first day of the investigation. His dog walker had been more than happy to drop him off and Jethro actually loved the place he stayed at. Gibbs had said he would get him and bring him back the following day and the dog could make use of his yard.

"So, now I'm out of the hospital," Tim looked pointedly at Gibbs, "What happened with Dobbs?" the Team Leader had refused to discuss it with his injured agent while he was in the hospital and had banned anyone else from doing so, including Director Vance and Agent Balboa when they came to visit.

Gibbs could tell he wasn't going to get away with avoiding the conversation anymore, "Well when you regained consciousness, before the EMTs arrived, you told us that Dobbs had pushed you over the balcony. Of course we had no idea why…"

"Director Vance handed the case over to Balboa so that we could be at the hospital with you, but when we were told that only two of us could be in the room with you Ziva and I headed back to the Yard to help in the search."

"The next day we caught the Ben Zonah," Ziva stated.

"You managed to give him a few good bruises Probie," Tony told him, a hint of pride in his tone.

"It's funny how the boss' hand to hand combat lessons pay off just when you need them," quipped Tim.

"I'll remember that for when you're back on active duty," chuckled Gibbs.

Tim groaned, "Why did I say that? Anyway, you caught him…"

"We did. He had changed his appearance some, but not enough to beat Abby's facial recognition software," Tony turned to Abby.

"I put his picture into the database and set it to scan all traffic cams; airports; train stations, you know the drill… you can change your hair colour, even your eye colour, but it's difficult to change the shape of your face without prosthetics!"

"So Abby's facial recognition spotted him at a train station and we went with Balboa to get him. We were under orders to follow Balboa's lead so we went into the station with his team. Dobbs spotted us and started to run for it. Ziva of course was quicker…"

"He had not seen me since I entered behind the other agents who were all much taller than I," she gave an evil grin and Tim had no doubt that it had been on purpose, "So when he ran I cut him off and tackled him to the ground."

"Balboa quickly made it over to them before our little ninja could castrate Dobbs. I should say here that it was totally unintentional when Dobbs managed to hit his head on the car as he was 'helped' into the back by Balboa!"

Tim knew he shouldn't feel any satisfaction at such treatment of a prisoner, but given what he'd put him through it kind of felt like a little bit of justice.

"We called Gibbs and he left Ducky at the hospital with you to come and interrogate Dobbs. It was awesome!" Tony grinned like a big kid.

"I must admit that seeing Director Vance and Gibbs doing an interrogation together was most enlightening," agreed Ziva.

"Vance?"

"The Director didn't think Gibbs would be able to avoid losing it with Dobbs, or so he said. I think he just wanted to get away from his paperwork!" Tony told Tim, "They left him to sweat for a couple of hours and by the time they were ready Jimmy and Abby had managed to find the footage of the two of you outside of MTAC. It clearly showed him…"

"Throwing me over the balcony? You can say it Tony."

"No, I don't think I can Tim," the image of the younger man going over the railing outside MTAC would be forever ingrained on Tony's and the rest of the team's memories.

"Gibbs and Vance played it for Dobbs," Ziva took up the tale to allow Tony time to get his emotions under control. "They pretended like they knew why he had done it and before you knew it he was spilling his stomach."

"Guts…" several voices corrected.

"Stomach, guts, is it not the same thing?"

"So are you going to tell me what he was actually doing? I never got that far. I just knew he was doing something that impacted our case and I knew it was on that last hard drive in MTAC."

"The proof was there Timmy, just like you said it would be. I can't believe you didn't tell me you'd done that!"

"Rule four, Abby. I didn't tell anyone I'd done it, not even Director Vance."

"Yeah, I think he might have something to say about that when you're back at work Probie!"

"I figured as much. So?"

"Oh right. He's Major Cowen's cousin. If you'd managed to get round to hacking, I mean investigating, Cowen's offshore account, you would have traced the payment back to Dobbs."

"How the hell was Dobbs getting his hands on so much money?"

"Well you're not the only one that can hack Tim. In fact it turns out that Dobbs was quite proficient at it. During meetings in MTAC that he was required for he found out about various financial transactions being made and each time he was on duty by himself and one of those transactions was carried out then he would siphon off a little for himself. When the amount got to a certain point he paid it into Cowen's account who then set up several offshore accounts in the names of people he knew from the Marine Company he was attached to so that if one account was discovered it would be less likely that the others would be, still leaving them plenty of cash. He made sure to pick people who were well liked but didn't have much of a life outside of the Corps so that if they needed scapegoats, they had them. When you started to get nosey they decided to get rid of the Marines."

"What about Cowen?"

"Still UA, but without access to the funds he's built up he won't get far. Dobbs is being very helpful in that respect, letting us know about places he might go."

"Obviously doesn't want to be the only one being prosecuted for six murders!" snorted Abby in disgust.

The group sat quietly for a few minutes before Gibbs spoke, "You OK Tim?"

"Yeah. I just wish I could have put it together faster, perhaps then we could have saved some of those Marines."

"Not your fault Tim."

"If I'd taken the time to make sure I wasn't being tracked from NCIS instead of worrying so much about being tracked back…"

"Tony," Gibbs gave a nod to his SFA.

"On it Boss," he leaned over and very gently head slapped the younger man.

"Hey!"

"Better listen to the boss then Probie. Not your fault."

"We had absolutely no reason to believe that anyone from NCIS was involved."

"Timmy, we could have lost you," Abby sniffled as she sat on the arm of the chair Tim was sitting in and put her arms around him in a gentle hug.

"Still here Abby," Tim assured her, patting her arm. He took a deep breath and suddenly found himself yawning.

"That, lad, is your cue to go and get some rest!" instructed Ducky.

"I'm fine Ducky."

"Not a request McGee."

"Yes Boss," sighed Tim as Abby gave him one last squeeze and then got out of the way so that Jimmy and Tony could help him up and get him settled in the guest room on the ground floor.

"Do not worry McGee, I will make sure to wake you up in plenty of time for dinner," she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks Ziva."

The three men slowly made their way out of the room. Only a few minutes later Tony and Jimmy were back and everyone was roped into helping Ziva get a traditional Israeli meal ready. She had chosen lamb shwarma. The lamb would be grilled then sliced and put in pita bread. She was also making some hummus and a salad to go with it; for dessert they would have baklava.

Gibbs waited until the kitchen was humming with activity and then slipped out to check on Tim. He opened the door to the guest room and leaned against the doorframe, smiling at the sight of his youngest asleep; safe and sound with his family to watch over him.

-NCIS-

**A/N: When I told my friend what I wanted to do to poor Tim she laughed! This is actually the idea that generated doing a Tim A to Z. Not sure why but Tim going over the balcony got stuck in my head for some reason! How many of you thought I was going to go with Bomb for B? Nah, too easy! Maybe I'll blow him up later! lol TTFN!**


	3. C is for Crash

**Disclaimer: See 1st Chapter!**

**A/N: As always I want to thank those that are reading, reviewing and alerting. I know this one has gone up quite quickly, but I'm currently off work and I've been using a couple of hours a day to just switch off and write. All being well I hope to go back Monday so chapters will be slower... Oh, plus I haven't come up with an idea for D yet... Feel free to leave suggestions in any reviews or PM me! In the meantime I hope you enjoy this instalment.**

C is for Crash

Tim was beyond exhausted as he sat quietly in the agency sedan as Gibbs drove them back towards DC, he would be asleep if it wasn't for the incessant bickering between Tony and Ziva.

"Will you two shut it, or I'll pull this damn car over and head slap the pair of you into next week!" barked Gibbs, wondering when two of his agents had turned into five year olds.

Ziva turned in the front passenger seat and glared at Tony who was sitting in the back behind Gibbs. The SFA just glared right back.

The whole team was tired after having to drive out to the boondocks to investigate a missing Petty Officer who was thought to have taken some classified files from his CO's desk before heading out on a weeks' vacation. Someone thought they had seen the PO near this tiny back of beyond town and because of the nature of the allegations Gibbs had felt it necessary to take all of his team with him.

When they'd arrived the main street consisted of a grocery store, a gas station and the Sheriff's office with maybe a dozen residential properties. Gibbs and Tony had gone to speak to the Sheriff while Tim and Ziva had gone to speak to the grocery store and gas station owners.

"Sheriff said that he saw a copy of our BOLO and showed it to the people in town, one of the residents, a Mandy Donovan, said she'd seen our PO on her way back from the next town over, he was turning into one of the parking lots for one of the many hiking trails," Gibbs told Ziva and Tim as they all met up.

"Yeah, apparently it was odd enough for her to remember because they don't get many people going hiking in these woods during the winter months, too dangerous," supplied Tony.

"Well when we spoke to PO Jenkins' family they did say he loved to hike," Tim responded.

"Yes, that is right. His mother said he would go any time of the year but was always careful to take extra supplies during winter months," agreed Ziva.

"Jenkins didn't stop in at the grocery store to get any extra supplies, so either he wasn't going to be hiking far or he'd already got them at another town," stated Tim as he turned his attention to Gibbs.

"Alright, well he's not here. Let's get back to the car and head up to this parking lot Ms Donovan told us about," Gibbs sighed. The team had already been on the go for the best part of twenty four hours at this point, although each of them had grabbed a few hours at the office, but he wanted to check out this lead before heading back to DC.

The four traipsed back to the car and climbed in, Tony and Ziva once again fighting for 'shotgun'. Tim just shook his head and opened the rear passenger door, the sooner they were in the car the sooner Gibbs would turn the heating on; it was absolutely freezing. Tony 'won' this particular round and Ziva huffed as she joined Tim in the car.

The drive out to the parking lot took an hour; the roads were narrow and twisting as they went up the side of a hill, so Gibbs couldn't go at his usual break neck speed. That and the fact as night started to draw in the roads were starting to get icy. Gibbs pulled into the parking area but there was no car there, which given the time lapse from when the PO was seen to now wasn't that surprising. The four weary agents climbed out of the car and started to search the area where three separate hiking trails fanned out from.

"Boss, I've got tracks leading into the trees here!" called McGee. Gibbs walked over to join him. "There's one set going in and one set coming back."

"Get you McScout!"

Tim rolled his eyes, "It may be icy now DiNozzo, but it rained earlier and this track was muddy. Even you could have spotted them!"

Gibbs raised an expressive eyebrow in surprise at his youngest; the retort had been unusually snappy for him. Tim just shrugged in response albeit a little sheepishly.

"There are no signs at either of the other paths Gibbs," Ziva stated as she joined the three men.

"Doesn't look like Jenkins was meeting anyone here Boss."

"Ya think DiNozzo!" Gibbs rolled his eyes at his SFA for stating the obvious, "Let's head back to DC. We've given Abby the registration of the car Jenkins was driving, maybe…" he was cut off by his cell ringing, "Gibbs… _What?_... When was this?... Yeah, we're heading back now," snapping the phone closed he strode angrily over to the car.

"Boss?"

"Get in the car," the response was growled and had all three agents moving.

"Shotgun!" called Ziva as she neatly slipped into the front passenger seat.

Once all three of his agents were seated Gibbs told them what his phone call was about, "That was Director Vance, the _missing_ files have been found!"

"They caught PO Jenkins?" asked Tim.

"No. The files had fallen down between the desk and the wall, the cleaner found them!"

"You have got to be kiddin' me!" groaned Tony.

"Do I look like I'm kiddin' DiNozzo?"

"We spent all this time chasing our tails on this for nothing!" the SFA sighed in frustration.

"Vance has told us to take tomorrow off," Gibbs told his team as he pulled out of the parking lot and started heading back down the now treacherous roads.

-NCIS-

Tony and Ziva had finally fallen silent after the reprimand from their boss, much to Tim's relief. The trees were starting to clear and they were now surrounded by endless fields. Dusk was approaching rapidly and Tim was just starting to settle back when something caught his eye.

"Boss, look out!" he cried. The car swerved, hit a patch of ice and suddenly the vehicle was rolling over and over, the sound of crunching metal loud in the silent dusk.

Tim didn't know how long it had been between the crash and this moment, but he quickly assessed himself for injury. He didn't seem to have any broken bones but he ached all over, something that was to be expected when he'd just been in a car crash that had left him feeling akin to being in a washing machine!

"Boss? Tony? Ziva?" he called out, but got no response.

Tim took a calming breath and reached for the knife that he kept on his belt, the movement caused discomfort but no agonising pain, so he figured any injuries he might have sustained weren't that bad and pulled the knife from its sheath then used it to cut through his seatbelt. Given the fact that the car had ended up on its roof the action caused him to fall from his seat with a thud. Tim groaned at the additional jolt but knew he'd had little choice. Taking a moment he laid on the roof of the car, and wasn't that weird, he took a deep breath and that's when he smelt it… gas.

Shit! Quickly taking in the condition of the car and his team mates he tried to remain calm, another deep breath and he thought he smelt smoke. At this point he wasn't sure if he was imagining it or not but he wasn't taking any chances. Quickly he checked Tony's pulse and tried to bring the unconscious man round.

"Tony!" he lightly slapped the older man's face, but got no response. In the fading light he couldn't see what the other man's injuries might be, but if the car _did_ catch fire and he didn't get the others out their injuries wouldn't matter. Decision made he knelt in the space beside Tony and put his arms round the other man's chest, once he was sure he had a good hold on him he shifted position slightly so that his left hand with the knife could reach the seat belt. It only took a minute or so for the sharp knife to cut through, but to Tim it felt like a life time. Once the seatbelt snapped Tony's full weight fell against him and he let out a huff before laying him on the roof of the car. Tim then turned his attention to finding the best way to get _out_ of the car. He could just make out that Tony's window had cracked and looked like a spider web but his own window had shattered. Turning so that he was on his hands and knees he crawled the short distance to the window, not even registering the glass digging into his hands, he then proceeded to drop to his belly and pulled himself out of the car and into the field that it had stopped in. Quickly he turned around, a brief look at the door told him that there was no way it was going to open so he crawled back in to the car on his belly and grabbed Tony by the shoulders of his coat then started backing out of the car once more.

As soon as he was clear he pushed to his knees and got his hands under Tony's armpits and continued to drag him away from the damaged vehicle. There was a small copse of trees a couple of hundred yards away, Tim figured that if the car did catch fire and explode that they should be a safe enough distance away so scrambling to his feet and readjusting his hold he carefully dragged Tony across the distance, trying to support his head and keep him as still as possible.

Once Tony was on the ground next to a big tree that also provided some shelter from the chill wind Tim ran back to the car and dropped down next to the front passenger window. This one was smashed the same as his had been but large pieces of glass still remained in the frame. Wasting no time Tim grabbed the scarf that was round his neck, wrapped it round his hand and brushed the remaining glass away. Reaching in he checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one, another gentle slap and no response had Tim repeating with Ziva what he'd done with Tony. It was easier because she was lighter and in no time he was laying her next to Tony making sure the pair were close so that they could share any body heat.

Tim then made another dash back to the car, this time going round to the driver's side. The doors this side weren't going to open either and the window, although cracked hadn't broken. Tim used his shoe to give it a gentle tap; not wanting to shower his boss with glass then dropped to his knees and used his scarf wrapped hand to once again knock out the remaining glass. For the third time Tim checked for a pulse and once again was relieved to find one but again was unable to rouse his boss.

Lying on his back underneath Gibbs' head Tim reached up. This was going to be more difficult. Gibbs probably weighed a little less than Tony but there wasn't the room to manoeuvre because of the steering wheel. Assessing the situation for a moment Tim was still enough to hear a quiet crackle and his heart leapt into his mouth. Fire, the car was on fire, there was gas leaking from the tank, he had to get his boss out! He shuffled further into the car so that he was sitting with his head between the two front seats and mentally apologised to his boss for what he was going to have to do. He pulled Gibbs against his chest as best as he could in the cramped space and swiftly cut through the seatbelt. Gibbs full weight fell against Tim's torso and pushed him on to his back, but without giving it a second thought he pushed the older man off and dragged himself out the front passenger window, gripping the frame with his hands and using it to pull himself out, as he'd done with Tony he leaned back into the car and grabbed Gibbs' jacket and used it to haul him out of the vehicle. Wasting no time he got to his feet and pulled the Lead Agent away from the car as quickly as he could manage. When he reached his other two team mates he laid Gibbs next to Ziva so the smaller woman was sandwiched between the two larger men. Glancing over them he thought that Tony might have broken his left arm so he shook out his scarf and used twigs from the trees to splint it and the scarf to hold it together. Ziva had a nasty looking gash over her right eye but the bleeding was practically non-existent so he decided to leave it alone, he couldn't see any signs of any other injury. Gibbs also had a gash on his temple but on the left side, it had stopped bleeding as well. There were no other visible injuries, which meant he only had to worry about internal ones!

Tim glanced back at the car and saw flames licking up from underneath the hood and he watched in awe as the rest of the car quickly caught fire until it hit the gas tank, the moment he saw what was going to happen he threw himself over his three unconscious team mates in order to protect them as the car exploded. Despite how far he had moved them from the vehicle, small bits of debris still rained down on them. Once the moment had passed Tim sat back up and stared at the agency sedan that was a ball of fire. Tony would have a thousand movies that he could quote if he was seeing this. So much for this being the sort of thing that only happened in movies, thought Tim.

A moment was all he could allow himself to watch as he quickly checked on his team mates again, his family. They were all still breathing and had pulses, Tim would take that. Help, he needed to get help, pulling out his cell he groaned as he realised that there was no signal, though somehow it had at least escaped being damaged in the accident. The one thing the fireball had done was light up the area enough for Tim to be able to see that the car had come off the road and rolled down a steep incline before coming to a stop on its roof at the edge of a large field. Maybe if he got up to the road he would get a cell signal, but he was worried about leaving his unconscious family alone and unprotected. Given the situation he knew he had no choice. They weren't expected back to DC until late that night so the chances are that anyone who might have realised they hadn't returned would have gone home, then they were supposed to be off tomorrow. With the cold temperatures there is no way that they would survive the night let alone longer. Decision made Tim checked the three's breathing and pulses again before standing up, before leaving he shrugged out of his big, thick, long winter coat and laid it over them. He'd be moving which would keep him warm; they needed it more than he did. For a moment he contemplated moving them closer to the burning car because of the heat it was giving off, but then if a secondary explosion occurred they could be injured further. One last glance over his shoulder and Tim ran away from the members of his team and toward the incline. At the bottom he dropped to his hands and knees so that he could crawl up it, knowing with just one look that he would never make it up the incline on two feet, the grass was shimmering with ice in the light that was being provided by the car fire.

When Tim got to the top he pulled his cell out of his trouser pocket and cursed at the fact that there was still no signal. In the time they'd been travelling this road, both going out to the parking area and coming back, they hadn't passed one single other vehicle. Looking at his watch, which had also survived the crash, though it now had a crack in the glass covering the face, Tim figured they must have been about a ten minute drive from the small town they had been at earlier. He glanced over his shoulder one final time only able to make out an indistinct shape that he knew to be his team, they were counting on him. Tim turned his attention back to the dark road ahead; his cell might not have had any signal but the torch app was working just fine and he switched it on. It wasn't much now that the sun had fully set but it would have to do. Once the cell was lit up he held it pointing in the direction he knew the town to be and set off at a fast paced jog. The road was slippery with ice and there was no way he wanted to fall and knock himself out, which was likely to happen if he ran flat out. There was still a danger of it happening even at his current pace, but he was playing the odds. He slowed every few minutes to check for signal on his phone, but there still wasn't any.

It was probably a good forty minutes before Tim started to see lights up ahead but the moment he did any tiredness he was feeling vanished and he picked up his pace. As soon as he was in sight of the town he flicked off his torch app and made a beeline for the Sheriff's office, it was in darkness. He pounded on the door but there was no response, so he moved onto the gas station, there was a light coming from the back so Tim pounded loudly on the closed and locked door.

"Alright, alright, keep your pants on!" growled the owner. A bear of a man it had to be said and one that Tim normally wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of! The door was wrenched open, "What in the blue blazes…" the words stuttered out as he caught sight of the person banging on his door.

"Crash," Tim was out of breath, "Back… that way…" he waved his hand in the general direction he'd come from.

"Come in sonny and let's sit you down…" he reached out to grasp Tim's arm and guide him inside but he was shaken off.

"No… my team… hurt," gasped Tim. Now he had stopped his legs were shaking like jelly but he knew that he had to keep going until he'd gotten help for his family.

"Your team have been hurt?" the man was confused. He didn't know who this young man was in front of him as Ziva had been the one to speak to him earlier in the day.

"NCIS… car crash…"

"Holy moly! You mean that young foreign girl that was in here earlier?"

"Yes!"

"Alright sonny, calm down. Let me just call for help…"

"Tried my cell…"

"Yeah, we don't get no signal out here on those things," the man hurried back into the gas station and picked up his phone dialling 911. He quickly informed the dispatcher for the local area that there'd been an accident and watched as Tim leaned his tall frame against the door. "How many are injured?" he asked.

"Three… I left them…" this was relayed to the dispatcher and with a little more prodding the information about the general area of the accident was provided.

"Alright sonny…"

"Tim…"

"Alright Tim, I'm Bob, what say you and me get in my truck and head out to this accident?"

"Please," Tim was almost beside himself with relief when the man offered to take him back, worried that he'd be made to stay put.

Bob locked up the gas station and unlocked his truck. He watched as Tim carefully climbed into the passenger seat. The man knew he'd be cleaning blood from his truck the following day but given the condition this youngster was in he didn't want to waste time getting to the accident scene and who better to show him than someone who'd been involved. Tim directed him to the road leading out of town and towards the hills.

"Well Tim, I don't think I need you to direct me," Bob nodded his head in the direction of a light coming from a field not too far in front of them.

"Car must… still be… burning."

Bob raised an eyebrow at that but made no comment as he pulled level with the field. Tim scrambled out and was down the incline before Bob could even get out of the truck, which amazed Bob considering the state of him, the poor kid looked ready to drop.

Tim slid to a halt next to his three team mates and quickly checked for breathing and a pulse, relieved once more to find it on all of them. They were all much colder to the touch than they had been though, "They're still alive," he called over his shoulder.

"Here," Bob appeared beside him and handed him a couple of large thick blankets.

"Thanks," he took them and laid them both over the prone forms as Bob unfolded another one and draped it over Tim's own shoulders. It was only then that Tim realised he was shivering. He wasn't sure if it was shock or cold but he was certainly grateful for the thick, slightly musty smelling, blanket.

Sirens could be heard in the distance, "I'm going back up to the road. I'll show them where you are."

"Thanks," Tim said again as he sat on the ground guarding his family.

A few short minutes later the Sheriff and two medics appeared beside him. The Sheriff squatted down in front of Tim, "What happened?"

"Swerved to avoid a deer, hit ice, car crashed, I had to move them from the car," Tim told him succinctly. He turned to the two medics, indicating each one of his team mates in turn, "I think Tony has a broken arm, both Ziva and Gibbs have head injuries."

"What about you?" the younger of the two wanted to know.

"I'm fine," he replied.

The fact of the matter was there were too many patients for just two medics and one ambulance, but another one was on its way from a nearby town so they would have to do the best they could until it arrived. Tim was lucid and a quick check showed his pupils were equal and reactive. When asked if he had any pain he told the medics no, so they turned their attention to those that couldn't speak for themselves.

As the medics examined Tony he groaned, his eyes fluttering open, "What…?"

"Tony?" Tim pushed himself up and moved closer to his friend, "It's OK, we were in an accident."

"What part of that is OK, McGee?" asked Tony after a minute to digest he was laying on his back, in the open and he _hurt_.

"He's got a point," muttered the Sheriff to Bob.

To Tim hearing Tony speak was like music to his ears, though he'd never in a million years admit it out loud or he'd never hear the end of it, "Well you're alive."

"Boss? Ziva?"

"Still unconscious."

One of the medics returned to Tony's side and checked his vitals again and shone the ubiquitous penlight in his eyes, "You might have a minor concussion," the medic told him and then proceeded to press on various parts of his body asking if it hurt, "Good, you don't appear to have any internal bleeding or spinal injuries."

"What about his arm?" Tim asked.

"You were right, it's broken," the medic told him, "Don't worry it looks like a clean break and you did a good job of splinting it to prevent further injury."

Tony groaned, "Crap, a broken arm means desk duty."

"At least you're alive," pointed out Tim, again.

Any further conversation was cut off by the arrival of the second ambulance. The four medics stood around for a few minutes debating about how best to transport three patients given that there wasn't room for two gurneys in one ambulance. Tony solved the problem for them by slowly sitting up, grabbing onto Tim as the world tipped for a moment. The medics decided that he could be assisted out of the field and they would secure him in one of the seats so they concentrated on strapping the still unconscious Gibbs and Ziva to back boards after securing collars on their necks. The pair were then carried to the ambulances as the Sheriff and Bob helped Tony.

Tim followed slowly behind, the adrenaline from the crash, the rescue and then his run for help still coursing through his body was probably the only thing keeping him going at this point. Tony was put in the back of the ambulance with Ziva and Tim was helped into the one with Gibbs and both ambulances took off with sirens going towards the nearest hospital with an emergency room, twenty miles away.

"Why don't you let me clean you up," the medic with Gibbs spoke to Tim, startling him a little.

"It's fine, I'm good, thanks."

"Your friend is stable, I've done all I can for him, but you've got some cuts that need to be cleaned," the medic told him, pointing to his own head and then indicating Tim's hands.

Tim hadn't even realised he _had_ any cuts, so he shrugged as the medic turned to his kit and pulled out what he'd need. Carefully he cleaned a cut on his right temple and cheek, Tim hissed as the antiseptic wipe met his skin but other than that said nothing. The medic secured the cut with butterfly strips, "You should probably have that looked at when we get to the hospital; you might need stitches. Now show me your hands."

Tim held his hands out, trying to stop them trembling when he did. The medic just smiled at him as he took hold of his left one and using a pair of tweezers removed the glass, cleaned the cuts, placed butterfly strips and then bandaged the hand, he did the same with the right one, "There, that's probably better. Now, are you in any pain? Stiff neck? Abdominal pain?"

"No, well, I'm a bit stiff and sore, but it's more uncomfortable than painful," Tim told him.

"Well I am sure that when they check you over at the ER they'll be able to give you something that will help," the medic smiled again and then the pair sat quietly for the rest of the journey.

-NCIS-

Tim had followed the two gurneys and Tony into the ER but had diverted to reception to provide the necessary medical information. The hospital was small and three patients coming at once had the department stretched so Tim was easily able to brush off his own scratches as they had been treated by the EMTs. He assured the nurse that once he got back to DC later he'd go to his own doctor, the EMT had only said he _might_ need stitches.

Once Tim had given as much information on his team as he could he then realised he had to call Director Vance, Ducky and, his heart sank a little, Abby. She would totally freak out! He wasn't sure he was capable of dealing with a hysterical Abby right now. Sighing he told the nurse behind the desk that he was going outside to make a call so someone would know where he was if there was any news, then dutifully went and stood in front of the small ER and pulled out his cell.

The first call he made was to Director Vance. To give the man his due he waited while Tim stuttered his way through an explanation of what had happened before bombarding his agent with questions. When he was satisfied he had all the answers that he could get at the moment he allowed Tim to get off the phone after he'd extracted a promise to keep him updated.

The second call was to Ducky, this call was harder than the last as he knew that Gibbs and Ducky were good friends. The ME would likely be at home now so Tim took a deep breath, wincing at the discomfort that caused in his abdomen, and dialled Ducky's home.

"Mallard residence," the soft Scottish voice caused a lump in Tim's throat.

"Ducky it's Tim."

"Hello Timothy, is everything alright lad?"

"Er, no, no it's not. There's been an accident Ducky…"

"Oh my…"

"Everyone's alive, but Tony, Ziva and Gibbs have been hurt," he blurted out trying to get the bad news out of the way.

"How bad?"

"They were all unconscious after the crash. Tony came round at the scene, EMTs said they thought he had a minor concussion and he's broken his left arm. They didn't think there was any spinal damage or internal bleeding. Both Ziva and Gibbs had nasty looking gashes on their heads and were still unconscious when we got to the hospital."

"Where are you Timothy?"

Tim gave Ducky the details of the hospital he was standing outside of. He could hear the distinct sounds of him moving about, then the rattle of car keys. The sigh he gave was one of relief, knowing that he wouldn't be on his own for long.

"Alright Timothy, I'm on my way."

"Thanks Ducky. I'll call Abby…"

"No lad, I'll get hold of Mr Palmer and we'll go and tell Abigail in person and then drive down together," Ducky knew that telling Abby was hard enough, telling her over the phone could be even worse since there would be no physical way to calm her down.

"Are you sure Ducky?" Tim tried to hide the relief in his tone.

"Quite sure Timothy. If there is any change in their condition, no matter how small, I want you to call my cell. We'll be with you as soon as we can."

"Thanks Ducky. Drive safely."

Tim stood looking at his cell after the call had ended. Did he need to call anyone else? He was sure that none of his team mates would want their father's notified at the moment, so he decided to wait and discuss it with Ducky when he arrived.

-NCIS-

Tim had been waiting two hours when the doors to the ER area slid open and admitted his three other NCIS family members. Abby was sandwiched between Ducky and Jimmy, but Tim could immediately see that she'd been crying and she was literally buzzing with anxiety.

"Timothy!" Ducky hurried over to meet him as the young agent had stood to greet them.

"Hey Ducky," he smiled tiredly at the ME before acknowledging Jimmy and Abby.

"Timmy! How are they? Are they going to be alright? Please tell me they're going to be alright!"

"Abigail, you must calm down! Give Timothy a chance to speak!" Ducky had his arm around the Goth's waist stopping her from barrelling into the other man for a hug, because in the ME's opinion it looked like a gentle breeze would knock Tim over, so he didn't think he would withstand an Abby Sciuto crushing hug.

"Tony's left arm has been put in a cast and they've admitted him overnight for observation because of the minor concussion…"

"Why aren't you with him? He shouldn't be alone!" accused Abby.

"Abby!" Jimmy cautioned, seeing for himself that Gibbs' youngest agent was probably at the end of his endurance.

"I've been sitting with him Abby, but the nurses sent me to take a break. Tony's asleep at the moment and they said they'd call me if he woke up. I knew you'd be arriving soon so figured I'd wait here so that I could fill you in."

"Gibbs? Ziva?" Her voice was strident and demanding.

"Both regained consciousness a short while ago. I was allowed to see them for a few minutes but I can't see them again until they're settled in a room," Tim looked at his watch, "Which should be in the next fifteen minutes. The nurse said they'd come and get me when I could see them."

"What are their injuries Timothy?"

"Both have concussions, unsurprisingly. Ziva has sprained her right wrist and Gibbs has a couple of broken ribs. The doctor said they should be just fine, but he wants to keep them overnight for observation as well."

"That is good news Timothy. Now what about you?" he eyed the younger man, taking in the butterfly strips on his temple and cheek as well as the bandaged hands.

"I'm fine Ducky, a little tired and sore that's all," Tim told him dismissively.

"Did the doctor look at that cut on your cheek?" asked Jimmy.

"Er, no, the EMT treated me on our way here."

"Looks like it might need stitches, what do you think Doctor Mallard?"

Ducky stepped closer, leaving a vibrating Abby in Jimmy's care, "Indeed Mr Palmer, I think you could be right."

"I'm fine, honestly, it's just a few scratches," huffed Tim.

"I want to see Gibbs!" Abby interrupted the conversation, "Ducky can you find out when we can see them?"

"In a minute Abigail, I want to make sure Timothy gets this cut checked."

"He said he's fine, it's just a scratch!" Abby crossed her arms and glared.

"Abigail! That is enough! Timothy has already said that someone will come out to let him know when we can see Jethro and Ziva. Why don't you go and see Anthony? I'll come and get you once they're settled in their rooms and you can see them."

"But…"

"Abigail!" there was a rare sternness in Ducky's tone, something none of the team heard very often.

"Fine! Where's Tony's room?" she demanded.

"His room number is sixteen, it's just down the hall on the left," Tim told her, pointing to a hall just to the right of the ER doors.

The Goth stomped off, clearly unhappy that she hadn't yet seen Gibbs, but knowing that she shouldn't push the ME.

"I'm sorry about that Timothy."

"It's alright Ducky, she's just worried."

"Well _I_ am worried about _you_. Jimmy, wait here with Timothy and I'll speak to a nurse and see if I can get the necessary provisions to sort out that cut."

"Yes Doctor Mallard."

The two younger members of the team moved to some chairs and sat down, a comfortable silence fell between them as they waited for Ducky to return.

"Agent McGee?"

Tim looked up from his study of the floor to find the nurse that had been keeping him updated, "Yes."

"Agent Gibbs and Agent David are settled in their rooms, you can see them now. They are in room seventeen and eighteen respectively."

"Thanks Anna, I appreciate your help tonight."

"You're welcome Agent McGee," the nurse flashed him a smile before disappearing.

Tim was just about to suggest to Jimmy that he'd go and check on them when Ducky reappeared, so instead he told the ME that Gibbs and Ziva were settled in their rooms and then turned to walk off to see them.

"Where do you think you're going young man?"

"To see Gibbs and Ziva?" the intended statement came out more as a question.

"I don't think so, not until you've had that cut stitched!"

"Come on Ducky, a few more minutes won't hurt."

"No, Timothy, I insist that you look after yourself and let others look after your team mates!"

"Fine," Tim sighed, knowing that Ducky could be just as stubborn as Gibbs.

"Right, that lovely nurse, Anna I think her name is, gave me access to a cubicle and has set everything up, so let's go and get you patched up."

"Er, Doctor Mallard, if Tim doesn't mind why don't I stitch his cheek and you could go and check on Gibbs, Ziva and Tony."

"And let Abigail know where they are?" Ducky questioned.

"Well… yes." Jimmy responded a little nervously.

"Timothy, are you alright with Mr Palmer treating you?"

"Yeah, that's fine Ducky."

"Good lad. I shall see you in a little while. Give him a thorough check up Mr Palmer!" The ME disappeared down the hall.

It didn't take long and Jimmy had finished a neat line of tiny stitches in Tim's cheek and up to his temple. "All done Tim, can I take a look at your hands?"

"Sure," Tim shrugged.

Jimmy gently unwrapped the bandages and inspected Tim's hands checking to make sure that there was no glass left in the cuts. A quick discussion with Nurse Anna and Jimmy had a magnifying glass, antiseptic and fresh bandages provided for him to use. He took his time carefully inspecting the cuts and found a few small pieces that hadn't been found in the initial cleaning. "This is probably going to hurt, sorry," Jimmy indicated the bottle of antiseptic as he placed Tim's hand over a bowl.

"I know, it's OK Jimmy," Tim reassured the other man as he closed his eyes and waited for the sting of the antiseptic being poured over his cuts. To say that he was relieved when it was over would be an understatement. Jimmy gently wrapped fresh bandages round his hands.

"These will need to be changed daily, but none of the cuts required stitches at least."

"Thanks Jimmy," responded Tim, who looked far paler than when he started getting treated.

"Any other injuries I should know about, trouble breathing; abdominal pain; headache?"

"No, the EMTs checked me for a concussion, like I told them. I'm not in pain, just a bit battered."

"If you're sure…"

"Yeah I am. Let's go and see how the others are…" Tim waited while Jimmy cleaned up and then they walked to the rooms of their team mates.

-NCIS-

Tim first looked in Tony's room. Once he saw he was sleeping comfortably he moved on to the next room which was Gibbs'. He was unsurprised to see Abby sitting in a chair next to the bed. The lead agent was also sleeping. Abby looked up at the sound of someone at the door, the look on her face stopped Tim from entering and he quickly moved on to Ziva's room. Ducky was sitting by her bed as she slept. Both Tim and Jimmy entered the room quietly so as not to disturb the slumbering woman.

"Ah, Timothy," whispered Ducky, "How are you feeling lad?"

"I'm fine thanks Ducky. Jimmy did a great job," he replied just as quietly. Jimmy blushed at the praise.

"You look about ready to drop dear boy. I think you should probably get some rest. I'll speak to one of the doctors and see if I can get a room organised for you."

"No!" Tim's voice came out louder than intended and Ziva stirred. He held his breath until she settled again then spoke in a whisper, "No Ducky, that's not necessary. I was just going to sit with Tony…"

"In that case I will see if a cot could be set up for you in his room. Abigail will not be leaving Jethro's side any time soon, I am happy to keep an eye on Ziva so if we get a bed set up for you in Anthony's room Mr Palmer can sit in there with you. Stay here a moment." Ducky said decisively, not giving Tim a chance to protest. He returned ten minutes later looking pleased. "All set Timothy, off you go now." The ME gently turned Tim around and indicated to Jimmy that he should take him to Anthony's room.

Jimmy nodded, pleased to be trusted to keep an eye on both Tony and Tim. He gently guided the agent back to Tony's room. A pair of scrubs had been left on the cot and Tim took them into the bathroom with him to change. That done he settled on the cot and pulled the heavy blanket over his tired body and despite not wanting to sleep when the rest of the team were down he was out like a light.

-NCIS-

Tim became aware of a dull ache in his body before he recalled where he was and what had happened. He was about to open his eyes when he heard soft voices, which must have been what woke him.

"No Anthony, leave him be. The poor lad was exhausted when we got here last night," whispered Ducky.

"You sure I can't go over and just, you know, maybe knock the cot?" There was definite mischief in Tony's voice, but he kept his voice low.

"Don't even think about it Tony or I will track down a paper clip," Ziva's quiet, but deadly, voice joined the conversation.

"He really was out on his feet Tony. I'm not sure how he kept going as long as he did," Jimmy stated softly.

The sound of footsteps approaching the room could be heard, very distinctive footsteps that belonged to thick soled, heavy Goth boots. Quieter footsteps hurried to meet them.

"Abigail, you must be quiet!"

"What is it Duckman? Tony still asleep?" Her voice was soft.

"No, Timothy is."

"Oh, in that case," Abby pushed passed Ducky, "Tony! I'm so glad you're alright," there was no attempt to lower her voice in consideration for the still sleeping Tim.

"Abby, shh, Tim's asleep."

"Well it's time for McGee to WAKE UP!" She called gleefully; the voice she used wasn't one that someone who wasn't deaf or drugged up to the eyeballs could possibly sleep through.

Tim knew his time of just lying there was up. What Abby wanted, Abby got. He stretched slowly and groaned as muscles he didn't know he had protested movement.

"Abigail!" Ducky said crossly as he walked over to Tim, helping him untangle his legs from the bedding, "I'm sorry Timothy; we did try to stay quiet so you could rest longer."

"That's OK Ducky, I should probably get up anyway," he looked around the room, "Where's Gibbs?"

"Right here," his boss entered the room and gave his youngest an appraising look, not having seen him since just before the accident, "Damn Tim, you look like hell!"

"Er, Boss, have you looked in a mirror?!" asked Tim a little taken aback.

Tony smothered a snort at the comment, which was normally the sort of thing that he'd blurt out. It did break the tension in the room that had been created by Abby's behaviour though.

Gibbs gave a half smirk before speaking to everyone in the room, "Doctors have discharged us, though I understand that Jimmy wanted to change the dressings on your hands this morning McGee."

"Just want to make sure there's no sign of infection," Jimmy assured Tim as he looked at him askance.

"You're not going to pour antiseptic over them again, right?"

"Oh Timmy, don't be such a baby!" Abby rolled her eyes.

Tim flushed red before Jimmy rescued him by grabbing him by the elbow and ushering him out of the door so he could take him somewhere more private to check the cuts.

"Was that really necessary Abigail?" Ducky sighed. He had spoken to Jimmy so he knew that although none of the cuts required stitching there were a lot of them and Tim's hands would likely be sore for a while as they healed.

"What? It's just a few cuts. He didn't even need to be admitted. Tony's got a concussion and a broken arm; Ziva has a sprained wrist and a concussion; Bossman has some broken ribs and a concussion. They're not complaining!"

"Abs, he was hardly complaining. He just asked Jimmy a question," Tony pointed out.

The group talked quietly while they waited for Tim and Jimmy to return. It was about fifteen minutes later when a paler Tim followed the ME's assistant back into the room.

"He did it again then?" asked Tony, sympathy in his tone as opposed to the scathing sarcasm Tim had expected.

"Well there was some redness and though it might just be some irritation I didn't want to take any chances…" Jimmy was quick to defend his own actions.

"Jimmy its fine. Doesn't even hurt anymore," he gave the other man a smile.

Tony could tell his Probie was lying through his teeth, so could everyone in the room actually, but in order to take the focus off the younger man he turned to his boss, "So how we getting back to DC. I'm assuming the car isn't driveable."

"Er, Tony, the car blew up," stated Tim. Everyone in the room stared at him in shock. "I take it nobody told you about that." He went to run a hand through his hair in frustration since he hadn't wanted to be the one to tell them about the events after the crash, but was stopped when he caught sight of his bandages.

"Er, Probie, no!" replied Tony, mimicking Tim's tone.

"Vance obviously knows since he's sending another car, since we won't all fit in the one Ducky, Palmer and Abby came in. It should be here in the next thirty minutes, Vance's orders are to go straight home and the MCRT are to take a week off."

"Good, then I say we adjourn to the cafeteria. Timothy hasn't eaten anything yet this morning," Ducky pointed out before anyone could comment on the week off. The patients had all been given breakfast and the three not involved in the accident had all been and had something in the hospital cafeteria already.

Tim was about to protest, honestly he wasn't feeling that hungry but Gibbs spoke first, "Alright, come on then," he ushered his team out of the room. They made an odd group, three in normal clothing, well relatively normal in Abby's case, and four in scrubs, their clothes having been ruined as a result of the accident.

Ducky insisted that Tim sit while he got him something light to eat so Tim found a table with Tony, Ziva and Gibbs, while Ducky got food and drink for Tim and Abby with Palmer got drinks for everyone else.

"Wanna tell us what happened last night Tim?" asked Gibbs.

"You don't remember?"

"Last thing I remember is you shouting at me to look out. Next thing I know I'm waking up in a hospital."

"A deer ran onto the road. You swerved to avoid it and would have managed it too, but we hit a patch of ice and the car skidded out of control," Tim's voice was quiet and the other's had to lean forward to hear what he was saying, "The car went over the edge of a steep incline and landed on its roof in a field."

"Here we are Timothy," Ducky placed a couple of slices of toast in front of him along with a cup of tea. For his part Tim had never been so glad of an interruption. He didn't want to talk about how he'd been the only one conscious or how he'd had to take the time to pull each of them out one at a time and far enough away from the car to avoid further injury; how the car had caught fire while he was still trying to extract Gibbs…

"You alright McGee?" Gibbs' voice brought Tim back to the present.

"Yes, Boss, fine," Tim glanced up quickly at him before turning his attention back to his breakfast. He wasn't hungry and eating the toast was like eating cardboard but he forced it down anyway as it was the best way to avoid further interrogation. He could tell from the look on his boss' face that he didn't believe him and that the subject was far from closed.

The table fell silent until Ducky's cell rang, "Doctor Mallard… Agent Balboa… Certainly, we'll be right there." He turned his attention back to the others as he closed his cell, "Agent Balboa is here with the additional vehicle."

"Let's go," ordered Gibbs, Abby hot on his heels.

Tim's stomach was hurting and he could feel his breakfast sitting heavily, he hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself on the way back to DC by throwing up. Slowly he followed the others to the front of the hospital.

Gibbs had already slipped into the front passenger seat of Balboa's car and Abby quickly climbed into the back seat, to nobody's surprise.

"Mr Palmer you go with Agent Gibbs and I'll take Anthony, Timothy and Ziva. Since we are both capable of giving medical assistance if it should become necessary it would seem appropriate for us to split up."

"Yes Doctor Mallard," Jimmy replied before reluctantly getting in the back seat next to Abby.

"Now you three, come along," Ducky encouraged his passengers to get moving. It really would have been better if Tony, Ziva or Tim had gone with Gibbs, but there was no chance of getting Abby to realise that two injured individuals in each car would be easier to manage if something went awry, especially as she didn't consider Tim to be injured.

-NCIS-

The ride back to DC was quiet for Ducky; his passengers had all quickly fallen asleep. He put the radio on and headed for Silver Springs, he would take Timothy and Ziva home first then Tony, before going home himself to get some rest.

Ducky stopped at Tim's first, walking up to his apartment with him to make sure he had everything he needed and with instructions to call if there was anything he required. Tim had thanked Ducky before gratefully closing the door behind the ME. The man was too perceptive and the agent didn't think he could have hidden his growing discomfort if he'd tried.

Tim sighed and decided that he'd take some Tylenol then go and have a sleep before going to collect Jethro from the kennel he was currently staying in. His current dog walker also owned a nearby kennel and if he called to say he wasn't sure when he was going to be home then Karen would take Jethro back with her. There were times Tim wondered if it was fair to the big German shepherd, he had thought several times about rehoming him, but when he came home after a rough day he really enjoyed having to focus on someone, or something, other than himself. Jethro gave him unconditional love, well kind of unconditional, after all he did look to Tim for his food and water as well as walks, but even when there had been days that Tim's been away on a case the enthusiasm with which his dog greets him meant he can't envision not having him, despite their rocky start. Tim winced as he reached for a glass and got himself some water, taking it through to the bedroom with him he decided that he wanted a shower before he went to bed. Of course that wasn't as easy as it sounded with his injured hands. Jimmy had only changed the dressings that morning so he didn't want to go through that again, plus he wasn't sure if he had enough dressings in his first aid kit for both hands.

Shrugging Tim decided he'd just try to put plastic bags over his hands to protect them. It turned out that it wasn't the greatest way to shower, but he felt better afterwards so the hassle and just plain weirdness of washing with plastic bags was worth it.

Once showered and in a pair of soft sweatpants and an old baggy MIT t-shirt Tim took some Tylenol and climbed under the covers of his big, comfortable bed. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

He'd only been asleep a couple of hours when he was woken by a nagging pain in his abdomen. Opening his eyes he groaned as he curled into a foetal position hoping to ease it. Unfortunately it didn't work as there was also a pain starting in his left shoulder.

Tim pushed up into a sitting position, trying to take deep breaths through the pain, and lifted his t-shirt. He gasped at the bruise that was just under the left side of his ribs. That must have been there when he showered, but he hadn't noticed it. Gingerly he pressed his finger to it and with only a slight pressure the pain increased sufficiently to make Tim feel dizzy.

This couldn't be right, could it? Was it just that he was bruised more badly than he had thought the previous day? Standing up nearly sent Tim crashing to the floor as he was overtaken by a wave of dizziness, that was what made him decide that maybe a trip to the hospital wasn't a bad idea. Tim called a cab and then sat on his bed and carefully bent to put on a pair of socks and trainers. A few minutes later he saw a cab pull up in his apartment building parking lot so he grabbed his keys, cell and wallet, locked his door and using the support of walls as much as possible he made it out to the cab without passing out.

The cab arrived at Bethesda in short order and Tim paid the fare before clambering out and making his way to the ER. Once at the reception desk he waited his turn.

"Next!" the voice was strident and he was met with the fierce grey eyes of an older female nurse.

"I… er…" Tim stuttered feeling intimidated under the steely gaze.

"Well?" she asked impatiently.

"I was involved in a car accident yesterday and I've got abdominal pain."

"Fill this out," she placed a clipboard on the desk in front of him. He stepped to one side and stood to fill it out, unsure if he was more comfortable sitting or not at this stage since the pain had become constant. It didn't take him long to complete the relevant details, he paused while the nurse finished with the person she was speaking to then handed her the completed form. "Take a seat over there," she pointed to several chairs against a wall, "A nurse will come and take you to triage shortly."

"Thanks," Tim turned and sat trying to fight the urge to vomit that was being brought on by the pain he was in. The pain was getting worse and he tried to find a more comfortable position. Giving up on sitting he pushed to his feet, which turned out to be a huge mistake since he became dizzy and before he could do anything he passed out.

-NCIS-

Tim tried to curl into a ball as someone pressed onto his abdomen, right at the point where he had been experiencing a nagging pain for the best part of twenty four hours.

"Alright Tim, I know it hurts, just try to relax," a female voice said as hands pressed him to lie on his back again.

Prying open his eyes Tim was met by the familiar face of Doctor Rebecca Lambert. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her green eyes were watching him with some concern.

"What happened?"

"You passed out while waiting to see a triage nurse," Doctor Lambert informed him, "Now what's this about being involved in a car accident yesterday? You must have seen a doctor or nurse given that you have stitches on your face."

"Er, yeah, kind of."

"Would you like to be more specific, Agent McGee?" the change to his full title clued him in on the fact that she wasn't happy with his response.

"I was involved in an accident with my team," he paused to breathe through another stabbing pain, "The other three were unconscious, I got help. We went to the hospital, I got stitches and my hands were bandaged."

"They didn't check your abdomen?" Doctor Lambert was appalled at the lack of care, "Which hospital was this at?"

"No, they didn't check my abdomen, I didn't have any pain," another pause, "Well, only aches and soreness that I'd associate with a car accident."

"Just when did you get your medical degree Agent McGee?" Once again she pressed her fingers into Tim's abdomen, starting on the right hand side and working her way over. The moment she got to the bruised area she could feel that it was distended. Her patient groaned and once again tried to curl in on himself.

"Think I'm going to be sick," he groaned. An emesis bowl was promptly put in front of him as he proceeded to throw up the meagre breakfast he had eaten. The effort of being sick and the pain from his abdomen had sweat beading on his forehead.

"Let's start an IV, get a litre of saline running. Get me five of morphine and arrange for a CT to be carried out," Doctor Lambert ordered the nurses that were in the room with her. Turning back to her patient she explained, "The pain you're experiencing and the fact that your abdomen on your left side is distended would point to an internal bleed. The CT scan will tell us if that is the case and then we'll decide on what treatment will be required."

"OK," Tim rested limply against the pillow on the gurney as the staff got him ready to go for his CT.

"Do you want me to call anyone?" Doctor Lambert asked.

"Not at the moment, thanks," he replied, much to her surprise. The last time he had been under her care his extended family were very much in evidence. Still he was lucid and it wasn't her place to question, "I'll see you when you get back from your scan."

-NCIS-

Tim McGee was officially miserable. The pain in his abdomen was excruciating, not even the additional dose of morphine he'd been given was helping. He was nauseous and in all honesty, scared, as he waited for Doctor Lambert to come back and give him the verdict. A nurse had been monitoring his vitals and had placed an oxygen mask over his face, stating that he was showing signs of shock. She had also hung another litre of saline.

Doctor Lambert stepped back into the room and turned to a nurse, "Please page Doctor Roman…"

"Doctor Roman, the surgeon?" Tim gulped a little, his voice may have been muffled by the oxygen mask but Doctor Lambert heard the discomfort in the tone.

"Yes Tim, he's our on call surgeon at the moment. You know him?"

"He, er, removed a knife from my hand."

"I see," she raised an eyebrow at her patient, "Well you're in need of his services again I'm afraid. The CT scan shows that you definitely have internal bleeding. Doctor Roman will decide on the best way to proceed…"  
"That I will. Hello Rebecca…"

"Hi Ken," she smiled at her colleague, "Tim has internal bleeding into his abdominal cavity.

"Hmm, let's have a look at what you've got then," he said not yet looking over at his soon to be patient. Rebecca quickly showed him the scans and he then turned back to the bed to do his own examination, which is when he saw exactly who his patient was, "Agent McGee?!"

"You remember me then," really Tim had hoped he wouldn't.

"It's not every day I get someone in the OR with a kitchen knife in their hand," he smiled as he moved forward, "I need you to lie on your back for me."

Tim had been curled on his side, breathing as deeply as he could to hold back the urge to vomit again. Reluctantly he rolled over and allowed Doctor Roman to prod at his already sore stomach. It didn't take long for the emesis bowl to make a reappearance.

"Easy Tim," Doctor Lambert placed a hand on his shoulder as he brought up nothing but bile.

"Alright, I've seen enough. Tim we're going to take you up to the OR and I'm going to perform an exploratory laparoscopy. The CT shows fluid in your abdominal cavity but I can't tell where it's coming from."

"If you can just sign this consent form Agent McGee," a nurse appeared next to his bed waving a form under his nose. At that moment he could have been signing over his bank account and he wouldn't have cared as long as it got him to the OR.

"Now do you want me to call someone?" asked Doctor Lambert.

"Can you call Ducky please?" he closed his eyes as another wave of pain rolled over him, "Er, Doctor Mallard, he's listed as one of my emergency medical contacts on file."

"Of course, I'll get someone to call him now."

"Thanks Doctor Lambert."

Tim was wheeled away from the ER and into an elevator where he was taken to an OR. A couple of orderlies and nurses moved him from the gurney onto an operating table and then the anaesthetist appeared and told him what was going to happen. It was a blessed relief when he felt the pull of the sedative take hold and he could no longer feel the pain.

-NCIS-

Ducky's cell rang and he quickly answered it thinking it might be one of the MCRT in need of something, checking the caller display he realised he didn't recognise the number, "Hello."

"Is this Doctor Mallard?"

"Yes, how can I help?"

"Doctor Mallard it's Doctor Lambert from Bethesda…"

The ME was already reaching for his car keys and jacket, "What's wrong?"

"Timothy McGee came in complaining of abdominal pains. We've found that he has some internal bleeding and he's been taken to surgery for exploratory surgery, he asked that I call to let you know."

"Heavens! Thank you for calling Doctor Lambert, I'm on my way," he hung up the phone and hurried out the door before opening his cell and calling Gibbs.

"Gibbs."

"Jethro, I'm on my way over to pick you up, we need to get to Bethesda."

"Is it Tony or Ziva?"

"Neither," Ducky was dismayed at the assumption but not surprised considering it had seemed Timothy had experienced the least severe injuries, "Timothy has been taken into surgery for an internal bleed."

"What?!"

"I don't know what's going on Jethro but we need to get to the hospital!"

"Go straight there Duck. Abby's here I'll get her to drive me; we'll pick up Tony on the way. Could you ask Palmer…?"

"To pick up Ziva? Of course Jethro. See you at the hospital." Once again Ducky hung up the call and quickly dialled Jimmy. He explained the situation and his assistant promised to get Ziva and meet them at the hospital as soon as he could.

The ME sighed as he got behind the wheel of his Morgan. Why was he only just getting the call now that Tim had been taken to surgery? Did he present with such severe symptoms that he was rushed straight there? He knew he'd find out soon enough.

-NCIS-

Bethesda ER waiting room was busy and it took Gibbs a moment to locate Ducky but when he did he headed straight for him with Tony and Abby following in his wake.

"Ducky?"

"Jethro!" Ducky stood up to greet his friend, "I've been told we can go up to the OR waiting room, but I'm just waiting for … ah Mr Palmer."

"Doctor Mallard, any news?"

"Not yet lad. I spoke to Doctor Lambert and she has suggested we wait in the OR waiting room on the third floor. Doctor Roman will come and see us once the surgery is finished."

As the six walked together to the elevators Gibbs turned to Ducky, "What happened?"

"Timothy apparently brought himself here because he was getting abdominal pain; before he could be taken to triage he passed out in the waiting area. Doctor Lambert says that a CT they did shows fluid in his abdominal cavity which would indicate an internal bleed. Doctor Roman will be doing an exploratory laparoscopy to find the bleed and see what intervention is required."

"What do you mean 'what intervention will be required'? Surely if he's in surgery they'll operate to resolve the bleed?" Tony asked.

"That is true Anthony, since if they had felt that the bleeding was minor they would have just admitted Timothy to the ICU for a few days for monitoring and treatment; however if the injury to the area the bleed is coming from is relatively minor then they will be able to carry out the repair via the laparoscopy, if it's more serious they will need to go in via standard surgical methods."

"But, there wasn't anything wrong with him! He wasn't injured!" Abby blurted out.

"Well clearly, Abigail, he was!"

"This is my fault Doctor Mallard. I asked him if he had any pain in his abdomen but I didn't check…"

"Nonsense Mr Palmer. A doctor can only go by the information he or she receives from their patient, especially if said patient doesn't wish to be physically examined; besides Timothy was more worried about his team mates than himself."

"Did anyone actually get any more details on the crash?" Gibbs wanted to know.

"No, Probie managed to avoid the subject mostly and we all fell asleep in the car on the way back," admitted Tony a little sheepishly. He should have pushed his little brother for more details of the accident, perhaps then he would have insisted on Ducky or Jimmy checking him over more thoroughly.

Gibbs pulled out his cell and called Director Vance as they got off the elevator on the right level, "Go ahead, I'll be along in a minute," he nodded his head in the direction of the waiting area. He saw Ducky talk to a nurse before taking a seat. Five minutes later Gibbs re-joined his team, "Director Vance has the photos and the report from the local Sheriff. He'll get someone to bring it across."

They sat in silence waiting for news. Several trips were made to the vending machines for drinks and snacks. It had been a couple of hours and there still hadn't been any news, so Ducky insisted that they each go and get a proper meal. Ducky, Tony and Ziva went first, only venturing as far as the hospital cafeteria. When they returned Abby was in Gibbs' arms crying. The other three stopped dead in their tracks.

"Jethro…?" Ducky's voice was low and filled with fear.

"Oh no, Doctor Mallard, we haven't heard anything yet," Jimmy was quick to assure his mentor, as Gibbs was still busy trying to calm Abby down, "Director Vance came by with the accident report," he indicated a file on the table.

Both Ziva and Tony hurried forward and scooped the file up, moving away from where Gibbs was still sitting with a distraught Abby. The first thing to greet them was photographic evidence that caused them both to swear vehemently. There were a series of photos showing first the skid marks on the road, followed by a trail of flattened long grass down a steep incline and ending with a photo of the destroyed sedan.

"When Probie said the car went down a steep incline he didn't say it _rolled_ down it!" Tony's voice was quiet, almost reverent.

"Read the report DiNozzo," Gibbs told his SFA, "He didn't tell us a lot of things."

Immediately Tony and Ziva turned to the report while Ducky looked at the pictures from the folder, he was so thankful that three of his family were sitting here with him because from the looks of the remnants of the car it could have been so much worse. Now they just needed for Timothy to be alright.

"He pulled us all from the car?" Ziva asked, looking from Tony to Gibbs.

"All three of us?"

"According to the Sheriff's report, yeah, he did. Then he ran the distance from the crash site to that small town…" Gibbs told them as they had stopped reading after they realised they owed Tim their lives and hadn't even thanked him. "Almost five miles," nodded Gibbs.

"I never even asked him if he was OK, I just assumed…" Tony broke off before looking at Gibbs.

"I didn't either Tony. I screwed up."

"Both Mr Palmer and I checked on Timothy and he told us he was fine," Ducky broke in, "I doubt he would have told you any different, especially if he wasn't feeling any pain."

"If he was bleeding internally surely he'd have been in pain?"

"Not necessarily Tony. It depends on the size of the bleed. It's possible that he had a slow bleed in which case he may not have felt the pain until later," Jimmy told the older man.

"He's going to be alright though, right?" asked Abby, sniffing.

"I hope so Abigail. We just need to wait until Doctor Roman has finished the surgery."

"I need to apologise, I was so mean to him!"

"Yeah Abs, you were but you know Probie will forgive you, he always does," sighed Tony.

-NCIS-

"Agent Gibbs?"

"Doctor Roman," Gibbs quickly stood up to meet the doctor, waking Abby who had been sleeping with her head on his shoulder.

"Please, let's sit," suggested the doctor, waving him back to where he'd been seated.

"How's Timothy?"

"Well as you know we needed to do an exploratory laparoscopy to try to establish where the bleed was coming from and how serious. I found a tear in Tim's spleen. I wasn't able to repair it via laparoscopy but I opened him up and managed to repair the tear."

"Is he going to be OK?" asked Abby.

"We'll be keeping a close eye on him to ensure that the bleeding doesn't reoccur, which in these situations is a possibility, with this in mind he will be a guest in our ICU for a few days so that he can be carefully monitored. Once we're sure that the bleeding has been stopped completely he'll be moved to a regular room for a couple of days before being released. He will not be fit for duty for a few weeks," Doctor Roman cautioned.

"Can we see him?" Ducky asked.

"I'll have a nurse come and get you when he's settled into the surgical ICU. It won't be long, but please remember he needs to rest."

"Thank you Doctor Roman," Gibbs shook the man's hand as he got up to leave.

The team waited impatiently for someone to come and get them. The nurse that appeared was the same one that had looked after Tim when he injured his back after being pushed from the balcony.

"Nurse Griggs," greeted Ducky.

"Doctor Mallard, please call me Lisa. You know the rules for the ICU, but I will allow you all a few minutes together to see Tim, after that it's back to two visitors only." Getting nods of agreement she led them down the long corridor to the ICU, "Here we are. He's still a little groggy from the anaesthetic but he was awake for a short while. Don't disturb him if he's sleeping though."

"Thank you Lisa," Ducky smiled before entering the room closely followed by Gibbs and the others, "Oh Timothy, what have you done to yourself lad?"

Glazed, tired, green eyes opened, "Ducky?"

"Yes lad. How are you feeling?"

"Weird. Tired."

"I'm sure. Are you in any pain?"

"No, feel kind of floaty."

Tony chuckled at that, "They've got you on the good drugs Probie."

"Tony?"

"Yeah Tim," he stepped closer to the bed so that the younger man didn't have to move too much to see him, "Gave us quite a scare!"

"Sorry."

"The main thing is that you are going to be alright," Ziva told him as she joined Tony.

"Tim, I'm sorry I didn't pick up on this. I should have examined you…"

"Not your fault Jimmy," Tim reached out a hand towards the ME assistant, who took it in his own and gave it a squeeze.

"Timmy…" Abby sniffled from somewhere near the bottom of the bed.

"Abby…"

"I'm so sorry, I was mean to you."

"S'OK, used to it," he mumbled in response. Abby gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth before running from the room.

"I should go after her," Gibbs sighed, torn between comforting his daughter and staying with his son.

"No, I will go," Ziva told him before turning back to Tim, "I will see you later achi," she kissed his temple and left to go in search of Abby.

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Tim.

"No Timothy, not at all," Ducky reassured the now worried patient.

"You're sure?" Suddenly he was feeling more awake than he had a few moments ago, sure that he had said something he shouldn't have.

"Positive Tim," Gibbs stated as he stepped forward and rested a reassuring hand on Tim's arm, "When you're better you and I are going to have a long talk about when it's appropriate to be checked by a medical professional, got me?"

"Yes Boss," replied Tim, almost automatically, before yawning widely.

"Alright, that's enough," Ducky told him, "You need to get some rest young man."

"But Ducky…" whined Tim.

"Ducky's right Tim, get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"OK," Tim closed his eyes and settled back into the pillows, "You promise?" a sudden feeling of insecurity washing over him.

"Yeah Tim, I promise," he squeezed the arm beneath his hand and watched as his youngest gave up the fight to remain awake.

-NCIS-

Ziva found Abby in the nearby ladies toilets; she was wiping her face with a damp paper towel, "Abby…"

"How could he say that?"

"Because it is true," Ziva told the other woman bluntly.

"No it's not!"

"Yes, Abby, it is. I could give you a list of things that you have said and done that have hurt McGee but he would not want me to upset you further."

"He's never said anything like that to me before!"

"That is because he is a gentleman and would not want to hurt your feelings."

"So why did he say it now?"

"Oh Abby, he is on strong pain medication. He is hardly thinking clearly! That really is not the point though. You must see how your behaviour has hurt him this time and learn from it!"

"I didn't mean it."

"You never do, but yet you still continue to do it and McGee continues to put up with it. Just remember, Abby, that even he has a breaking point," with that said Ziva left the Goth to contemplate her words and made her way to the ICU waiting area where she found Ducky and Jimmy.

"Did you find Abigail?"

"I did."

"And?"

"She did not understand how Tim could say what he did. I tried to make her see why."

"Do you think it worked?" asked Jimmy quietly.

"I do not know," Ziva sighed.

A short time later a red eyed Abby joined them in the waiting area. Over the next few hours everyone but Abby, who stayed in the waiting room and Gibbs, who stayed with Tim, took turns in visiting their youngest family member. Tim remained oblivious to it all, the drugs in his system keeping him sleeping through the night.

-NCIS-

"When can I get out of here?" complained Tim, not for the first time.

"Timothy, you need to be patient! Doctor Roman needs to look at your latest CT scan and examine you before he can discharge you!"

"I know Ducky, I'm sorry. It's just I hate being in hospital…"

"… and you've been here a week already."

"Yeah," Tim tiredly rubbed a hand over his face; they were no longer bandaged and were healing as expected. It had been four days before they had moved him from the ICU, a small amount of blood had shown on his initial CT scan and Doctor Roman had added further medication and ordered absolute bed rest until he was sure the bleed had stopped. Finally on the fourth day he was satisfied that no further bleeding had occurred but then insisted that Tim spend another three days in a regular room. The medication to help with the pain had been dialled back but the dose that he was still on left him tired and lethargic, something he was finding increasingly frustrating.

The door to Tim's room opened and he threw up his hands as he saw Doctor Roman step in, "Finally!"

Doctor Roman just laughed at his impatient patient, "Good Morning to you too Tim. How about you lie back on the bed and lift your t-shirt for me so that I can give you a final once over?"

"Fine," Tim sighed before flopping back on his bed, albeit carefully so as not to pull his surgical wound.

The surgeon grinned and gently probed the area where he had operated and smiled when he felt no signs of any further issues, though Tim was still uncomfortable when he was examined, the pain was a lot less than when he'd been admitted, "Excellent. Your CT scan was clear and I declare you fit to leave the hospital."

"Thank God!"

"However," Doctor Roman rolled his eyes when Tim huffed, "You have an appointment to come back again in a week and as we discussed you need to take it easy. That means no work, no lifting heavy objects…"

"No over stretching because I could tear my stitches, only gentle exercise like short walks. Can I go now, please?"

"Timothy!" Ducky admonished the young man who was currently behaving like a child.

"I'm sorry, but no offense Doctor Roman, I just want to get out of here!"

"None taken, Tim. I'm always happy to see a patient get up and leave. Here's a prescription for your antibiotics and pain medication. Make sure you finish the course of antibiotics and, I know how much you hate them, but if you're in pain, take the damn pain medication!" It had been an uphill battle getting Tim to use his patient controlled analgesia pump. More than once he'd been called to see Tim because he was refusing to use it despite clearly being in pain. It had taken the combined efforts of Doctor Roman, Gibbs and Ducky to get through to him that he would recover faster if he used the medication.

"Yes Doctor Roman," Tim said in a sing song voice.

The doctor rolled his eyes before signing a bit of paper and getting Tim to sign the bottom of it, "Go on, get out of here, before I tie you to the bed for a few more days for your cheek!"

Tim laughed and shook the doctor's hand, "Thanks for everything Doctor Roman."

"You're welcome. Look after yourself Tim, I don't want to see you on my operating table again!"

"Yes Sir!" he saluted as he sat in the wheelchair that was a requirement and Ducky pushed the younger man out of the room where they were met by Gibbs.

"Ready to get out of here Tim?"

"Hell yes!"

Gibbs laughed and took over pushing the chair as Ducky walked beside them out to an agency sedan. They got Tim settled in before Gibbs got behind the wheel of the car. The injured man was asleep before they'd even left the parking lot.

"Come on Tim, we're here," Gibbs gently shook the younger man by the shoulder to wake him.

Tim slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them to clear the sleep then turned to get out of the car, a pair of willing hands helping him. Once he stood up he looked around, "Er, this isn't my apartment building Boss!"

"You don't say," Gibbs gave a small smirk at his agent.

"Why aren't we at my apartment?"

"Did you really think Jethro was going to let you stay on your own when you've just got out of hospital lad?" asked Ducky, smiling at the confusion. It wasn't like it was the first time that Tim had been brought to Gibbs' house to recover.

"I suppose not."

"You suppose right! Come on, inside."

Tim slowly made his way into the house where he was greeted by Tony, Ziva and Jimmy. The latter was hanging on to Jethro's collar to stop him jumping all over Tim.

"Hi guys," he acknowledged the other three before turning his attention to Jethro, "Sit!" the dog obediently put his rump on the floor, but the whole of his body was moving with the excited swaying of his tail. Tim moved forward and gently stroked the dog's head and ears, gaining a sigh of contentment.

"Come on Timothy, you need to sit before you fall," insisted Ducky, placing a hand on his arm.

"Yeah, OK," he reluctantly moved away from Jethro but he needn't have worried since the dog followed close on his heels and once he was settled in an arm chair Jethro rested his head gently in Tim's lap so that he could continue to make a fuss of him.

Gibbs and Ziva sorted out drinks for everyone before they all sat in with Tim, glad to have him back from the hospital. The man himself was quiet, even more so than normal.

"Tim?"

"Yeah?" He looked up from Jethro to meet his boss' concerned eyes.

"Are you OK?"

"Sure."

"Tim…" the warning in Gibbs' voice told Tim that he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Just wondering… well…"

"Spit it out Probie."

"Abby… she never came to see me in the hospital and she's not here. Did I do something to upset her?"

They had all known that Tim would eventually broach the subject of the absent Goth. They hadn't been sure whether to bring it up first or wait until Tim asked. After much discussion the consensus was to wait for Tim to be ready to ask.

"She did come to see you in the hospital Tim, the day you had your operation," Gibbs told him.

"I don't remember," replied Tim, surprised.

"Not really surprising Timothy, you were on a lot of medication and hadn't long had a general anaesthetic," Ducky reassured him.

"What happened?"

"Why do you think something happened?"

"Well Boss, the fact that she was there the first day and I haven't seen her since."

"Probie, she apologised to you for being mean…"

"Being mean?"

"Yeah the day we all got out of the hospital, she wasn't very nice to you man."

Tim shrugged, it wasn't like that was anything unusual, but he wasn't going to say that to anyone here, "That still doesn't tell me why she never came back."

"Because you replied that it was OK, you are used to it." Ziva told him.

Tim looked absolutely mortified, "Oh my God! I didn't?" though he could tell from the looks on the other's face that he did, "No wonder she didn't come and see me again."

"Hey!" Gibbs got up and gently slapped the back of Tim's head, "Don't you go beating yourself up about this, you hear!"

"But Boss…"  
"Jethro is right Timothy. This isn't your fault. You said something that you would never dream of saying under normal circumstances, no matter that it is the truth."

"Yeah, but now my best friend isn't talking to me!"

"Hey, I thought I was your best friend Probie!" Tony tried to lighten the mood.

"No Tony, you're the annoying big brother! The one I never wanted but someone somewhere decided I needed!"

"Huh, I don't quite know how to take that!"

"I think there is a compliment in there somewhere," Jimmy assured the older man.

"What am I going to do about Abby?" the question was quiet.

"I tell you what you're not gonna do McGee and that's worry!" ordered Gibbs, "You're still recovering from some pretty major surgery and should be resting, not worrying. Abby will come round in her own time."

"And if she doesn't we'll send Ziva to give her a head slap!" Tony grinned.

"Is that right Tony?" the woman in question asked, "And why would you not do this yourself?"

"I'm injured!" he raised his left hand that was in a cast, "Not to mention I don't have a death wish!"

"You think I do?!" she exclaimed, "Abby is the one among us who can kill…"

"And leave no forensic evidence," the others chorused.

There was a brief moment of levity before it just made them realise again that Abby was missing when she should be here fussing over McGee.

"Alright, that's enough for now. Timothy I really think you should lie down."

"Yeah, you're probably right Ducky," he was suddenly overwhelmingly tired; "I'll see you guys later."

The group watched him shuffle off to the guest room, "We've gotta do something Boss. This is gonna tear Probie apart."

"Yeah, I know Tony." Gibbs sighed. "You stay here with him, I'm going to go and find Abby."

-NCIS-

"Abby, open up, I know you're in there!" Gibbs called through the door to her apartment. Not only was her car in the parking lot but he could hear her moving about inside.

"What do you want Gibbs," she growled as she flung open the door.

"To talk to you about Tim," he told her as he stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him.

"Well I don't want to talk about it!" Abby flounced off into the sitting room and dropped into a chair, folding her arms across her chest.

"That's just tough Abby. You're behaving like a spoilt brat and I know that's partly my fault for not reining you in when it comes to how you treat Tim, but that stops, right now! We could have lost him Abby, do you get that? If he hadn't taken himself to the hospital he would have bled to death! Not to mention what could have happened to Tony, Ziva and me if he hadn't pulled us out of that car!"

"So that gives him the right to be mean to me?!"

"Mean to you? He was high on medication Abby! You know as well as I do that if he hadn't been he would never have said what he did."

"It doesn't change the fact that he still said it Gibbs!"

"What's the matter Abby, the truth hurt?"

"Gibbs!"

"No Abby, you can't keep playing with Tim's feelings or using him as a scapegoat when _you_ make a mistake. You're putting the rest of this team, this family, in a bad place Abby. Don't force them, us, to choose, you may not like what happens." Gibbs turned and walked out the door, hoping that he'd given his daughter enough of a kick up the backside to make her see sense. He had meant what he said; Abby would no longer be the automatic choice if it came down to needing to choose between his daughter and his son. He'd nearly lost Tim twice now, he couldn't lose him because of something another member of his family wasn't prepared to accept, even if that meant losing the woman he loved as much as he had loved his biological daughter.

-NCIS-

The team, minus Abby, were enjoying an evening meal at Gibbs'. Ziva had once again cooked up a storm. This time she had made a lasagne, which happened to be Tim's favourite. Everyone around the table avoided mentioning the empty chair where Abby would normally be, trying to keep Tim's spirits up. They had just finished a simple dessert of ice cream when there was a tentative knock at the front door. Gibbs pushed his chair back and got up to answer it.

"Abby," he said when he saw who was standing there.

"Gibbs. I would like to speak to Tim please," she told him, not looking him in the eye.

"If you're here to upset him Abby, you can just leave," Gibbs growled.

"I just want to speak to him…"

"It's alright Boss."

Gibbs turned to see that Tim was standing in the sitting room doorway, "You sure?"

"Yeah," he turned his attention to Abby, "Let's go out back," he grabbed a coat off the hook near the door and walked towards the back door without waiting to see if she was going to follow.

"Remember what I said Abby," Gibbs warned her as he closed the front door.

Abby nodded her head and then quietly followed Tim out to the back deck; not even looking at the others as she walked passed them.

"McGee…"  
"Sit down Abby," he told her softly as he settled in one of the wooden chairs that Gibbs had sitting on his deck. She did as she had been told and turned to face him, but couldn't quite look him in the eye, "I'm not going to apologise for something I said while under the influence of strong medication." Abby opened her mouth to interrupt, "Let me finish. The fact is I am used to you apologising to me because you've said or done something hurtful. Just because I wouldn't normally say it, that doesn't make it any less truthful. I am sorry that it came out the way it did, in front of the others. It really isn't fair to them because it has put them in the middle of this situation, a situation which should be between the two of us."

"I'm sorry that I didn't come to the hospital to see you but I was hurt by what you said and I was angry. Then I waited so long that I didn't feel like I should come and see you, that somehow I'd lost that right."

"It wasn't because you were too stubborn to admit you were wrong then?" Tim asked, still speaking softly, no accusation in his tone.

"Well, maybe that too," she admitted, "I know I take you for granted and I trample over your feelings like they don't matter. Tim, you're my best friend and I don't want to lose that friendship, but I can't promise to change, I can only promise to try."

"I can't ask any more than that Abby," Tim assured her, "In return I promise I will try to tell you when you're crossing the line with me. Deal?" he asked.

"Deal," she agreed. She looked up at him, truly seeing him for the first time since the hospital. He was still pale and there were the remnants of dark circles under his eyes, but he definitely looked better. "Can I please hug you?" she asked tearfully.

"Of course you can, but can you please save your rib crushing hug until after I'm fully healed?"

"I can do that!" she got to her feet and he stood to meet her. Abby slid her arms gently round his waist, just resting them against him, "Is this OK?"

"Yeah Abby, it's perfect," he told her as he wrapped his arms round her shoulders.

Inside the remaining five family members sighed with relief as they watched the two hug. Sure there would be other arguments, they were a family after all, but at least, for now, they were back together, a complete family once again.


	4. D is for Darkness

**DISCLAIMER: See first chapter.**

**A/N:** Thank you all so much for your reviews, all of them are welcome (as long as they aren't flames) and we're all entitled to our own opinions.

It has kind of dawned on me that I didn't put in some caveats about this story... so... I know Tim isn't really the youngest, but I write him as the youngest, probably because he seems that way because of his different experiences. Yes, it's unrealistic for Tim to get so many (26) different injuries in one time line, but that's why I love fanfiction, I don't have to make it completely realistic! Finally I will be utilising OC's in multiple chapters because it's easier!

That said... on with the story... Thank you to those of you who made suggestions for D. A couple of you suggested darkness, for different reasons and I liked the idea so thank you for the suggestion! :)

D is for Darkness

"McGee…"

The man in question looked up from his computer screen to look at the person speaking, "Yes Boss?"

"Take a break," came the gruff response.

"I'm fine Boss…"

"That wasn't a request McGee! You've been sat in front of that computer for hours without a break."

"I'm close to cracking the encryption…"

Gibbs looked at his agent closely, his eyes were red rimmed and clearly he was getting over tired, which would mean he could miss something, "I wanna catch the son of a bitch too, but you need to take a break. DiNozzo!"

"Yes Boss," the man at the desk next to McGee's dragged his eyes up from the file he was reading to look at his boss.

"Take McGee and get dinner."

"On it Boss. Come on McEncryption."

Tim sighed. He knew it would be futile to argue with Gibbs on this and he had to admit that the screen was starting to blur slightly. A quick break and some food would likely cure that then he could get back to finishing what he started. Reluctantly he followed the Senior Field Agent to the elevator.

The MCRT had spent days trying to track down the man behind thefts that had so far left a dozen Navy and Marine families without their life savings. They had finally got the name of someone that they believed was part of it and they had hoped he would lead to the man who had set it all up.

Petty Officer Doran had been a person of interest so the team had geared up and headed out to his house. When they got there they heard shouting and by the time they were breaking in the door with shouts of 'NCIS' and 'Federal Agents', Doran was dead from a knife to the chest and his attacker had vanished out the back.

A search of the house provided fingerprints and hair samples for Abby, but also a laptop that McGee had been going through since he returned to the Navy Yard several hours ago. Doran had been sneakier than most and had a hidden partition on his hard drive that Tim had found relatively quickly, however once there all the files were encrypted. Tim suspected that there was a file for each one of the families that had had their life savings stolen, though from the number of files there were either some families that they didn't know about or details of future targets, but unless he could get into the files he couldn't be sure.

Tim and Tony exited the NCIS building on the Navy Yard and started for the parking lot. It was late afternoon on a Friday so the Yard was busy with people finishing up for the week and hurrying to get home. Maybe if it hadn't have been quitting time the two agents would have seen the danger approaching or perhaps they would have just been more aware of the people around them. Sadly this wasn't the case and it only took moments for things to go to hell in a hand basket.

-NCIS-

Tony was a few steps ahead of McGee as they walked out of the front of the building and towards the parking lot. When Gibbs called to him and told him to take McGee to get dinner he had taken one look at his Probie and knew that the only way he would leave his desk and take a break was if he was away from the building. Sure Gibbs could order him to take a break and he would, but left to his own devices Tim probably would have gone to the break room, got a Nutter Butter from the vending machine and then returned. Tony was lost in his own thoughts as he was walking to the car until he heard someone call out to McGee, he turned round to see who wanted to slow them down in their mission to get food, he was just in time to see McGee start to drop to the ground.

-NCIS-

Tim kept an eye on Tony's back as they cut through the people leaving for the day but his thoughts were on the encryption he was trying to crack. Petty Officer Doran's file had nothing in about computer skills so it had come as a surprise to find the partition and the encrypted files. Of course it was possible that Doran hadn't put those on the laptop and there was also the possibility that the person who had killed the Petty Officer had been after the same laptop but was prevented from getting it by the timely, or untimely depending on your point of view, arrival of the MCRT.

"Agent McGee…!"

Tim automatically turned at the sound of his name, a reflex that is built in to most human beings. There were several people nearby but he wasn't sure which of them had said his name, though it had been a male voice. He didn't have a chance to work it out as he saw a flash of movement and then felt a liquid splash in his face followed by an agonising burning sensation which dropped him to his knees.

Suddenly he was surrounded by chaos as people started shouting and screaming around him. All Tim could focus on was the sickening pain. He pressed his hands to his face, desperate to stop the burning sensation, but all that did was end up causing a similar burning sensation on his hands. He tried to open his eyes to see what was going on, another automatic reaction, but that just intensified the pain and all he got to see was blurry images of people rushing around him.

"McGee!" Tim felt someone's hand on his back and startled, "It's alright Tim, it's just me, it's Tony."

"Tony?" the younger agent's voice was barely audible.

"Yeah Tim, what happened?" Tony desperately tried to get a look at his team mate's face but was prevented from doing so by Tim's hands pressing against it, "Let me look."

"Hurts."

Tony gently pulled at Tim's wrists to get him to drop his hands and bit back a gasp when he saw the redness of what looked like burns, "It's going to be OK Probie, just… you need to stop touching your face." He held both Tim's hands in one of his before placing a call to dispatch, "This is Special Agent DiNozzo, I'm outside the NCIS building on the Navy Yard. I need an ambulance to my location and the Yard needs to be locked down, nobody in or out but that ambulance!"

"An ambulance is being requested," the calm voice on the other end told him, "You don't have the clearance level to lockdown the Yard, Agent DiNozzo."

Cursing under his breath he cut off the call, knowing that an ambulance was on the way was a start, turning his attention back to his cell phone he pressed speed dial number one and waited.

"Gibbs."

"Boss, McGee's been hurt…"

"Where are you?" Gibbs may come across as a hard ass but he didn't need to hear anything more to start moving, grabbing his gun and putting it in his holster. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ziva doing the same.

"We're outside the front of the building, at the corner near the parking lot."

"We're on our way."

"Wait, the Navy Yard needs to be locked down, dispatch said I don't have the clearance…"

"Just stay with McGee," replied Gibbs, hanging up. He immediately dialled again and this time the authorisation to lockdown the Yard was accepted.

"Boss is on his way Tim," Tony spoke to his team mate who was now resting against his side, unable to move far because the SFA still had a firm grip on his wrists. Another speed dial and Tony was connected to their ME, "Ducky, I need your help!"

"Anthony, whatever is the matter?" the ME asked as he heard the hint of panic in the voice on the other end.

"McGee was attacked outside the building; a liquid of some sort was thrown in his face. There are burns…"

"I'm on my way Anthony," Ducky pulled the phone from his ear momentarily, "Mr Palmer, get my bag and ensure that I have some sterile saline solution. Tell me where you are lad…"

Tony hung up after telling him, knowing he'd done all he could at that time, "Ducky's on the way too Probie. You're gonna be OK."

"Hurts," Tim didn't seem to be able to manage more than one word at a time.

"I know but helps on the way," Tony didn't know what else to say to keep the younger man calm. Luckily Gibbs chose that moment to appear by his side with Ziva right next to him. Both knelt down next to the two men.

"What happened?" asked Gibbs as he looked at the red face of his agent.

"Boss?"

"Yeah Tim, Ziva's here too."

Ziva placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer support, "It will be alright McGee."

"Jethro!"

"Ducky," Gibbs stood to greet his friend, "Ambulance is on the way."

"Good, now let's have a look at you lad," with the help of Jimmy he joined Tim, Tony and Ziva on the ground, "We need to irrigate your eyes and your face Timothy," Ducky told the injured man as he took his pulse and noted the shallow fast breathing, "We're going to lay you down lad."

Immediately willing hands helped guide Tim onto his back on the ground, if it hadn't been for Ducky warning him Tim was sure he'd have panicked.

"Ziva, can you use this," he handed over another bag of saline solution after wiping a swab gently over Tim's hand, "and pour it slowly over each of his hands. It seems he has contact burns there too and we don't want them getting worse."

"Of course Ducky," Ziva took the bag and gently moved both of Tim's hands so that they were together over one side of his body, "I need you to leave your hands there Tim," she instructed him as she started to pour the liquid over his reddened hands.

"Tony," Gibbs nodded his head to indicate to his SFA that he wanted to speak to him and reluctantly Tony stepped away and told his boss what had happened, even though he didn't actually see who had thrown the liquid at McGee.

"Timothy, I have sterile saline solution here, Mr Palmer and I are going to hold open your eyelids and use it to start washing out your eyes and your face, alright?"

"'K."

"Good lad, Mr Palmer…"

Tim felt both his eyes being pried open and liquid start to pour in, causing him to blink furiously. The burning sensation became a little less fierce as the solution ran into the corner of his eye and ran across the surface to pour out the other corner and down his temple into his hair. Every few seconds the stream would move so that his face was also being washed. It was far from comfortable but Tim just kept telling himself that this would help.

-NCIS-

Gibbs stood and listened to his SFA telling him what had happened, while keeping a close eye on the group on the ground. He couldn't believe that someone had had the nerve to attack an agent at the Navy Yard, let alone one of _his_ agents. The cell phone on his belt rang and he practically growled as he answered it.

"Gibbs!"

"Agent Gibbs, why the hell is the Navy Yard on lockdown?!" demanded Director Leon Vance.

"McGee was attacked right outside our building, that's why!" he really wasn't in the mood to play nice, not that he ever was really.

"What?"

"Someone threw a liquid in McGee's face as he was leaving the building…"

"Is he alright?"

"Ducky's treating him and an ambulance is on its way."

"What do you need?"

"The security footage needs to be reviewed to see if we can identify who did this."

"I'll get Balboa's team on that right now," the Director assured his Team Leader.

"The Yard needs to stay on lockdown until the person is identified and caught."

"Nobody is allowed to leave or get on the Yard during lockdown. I'll contact the gate and smooth the way for the ambulance."

"Good, let me know if Balboa's team come up with anything from the security footage," he closed his cell without waiting for a response.

"Boss, someone needs to tell Abby," Tony pointed out, "I'm surprised she hasn't called…" Gibbs' phone rang again and he turned the display for the SFA to see before answering.

"Abby."

"Gibbs, what's going on? What's happened? I can't leave the lab!"

"That's what being on lockdown means Abs."

"Why are we on lockdown? Is everyone OK?"

"Stay in the lab and I'll come to you as soon as I can," Gibbs ignored the questions.

"But…"

"Abby!" it was unusual for Gibbs to lose his temper with the Goth, but he had an agent down and he wanted to make sure he was taken care of before he had to deal with what he was sure was going to be an emotional outburst, "Stay in the lab!"

"Gibbs!"

"I mean it Abs!" he hung up and turned his attention back to the rest of the team, "How's he doing Duck?"

"He needs a hospital Jethro," replied Ducky, still using a bag of saline to irrigate Tim's eyes.

Gibbs was about to reply when his cell rang again. The Team Leader smothered the urge to throw the damn thing against the wall of the building and answered, he paused to listen before thanking whoever was on the other end and closing it again, "Ambulance is just being cleared through the gate."

"Good."

Gibbs leaned over Ducky and spoke to his agent, "How you doing Tim?"

"Fine," the reply was less than convincing given the clenched teeth it was said through.

"That's good, 'cos you don't have permission to be anything else. You hear?"

"Yes… Boss."

"Ducky will go to the hospital with you. The rest of us are going to stay here and get the son of a bitch that did this. We'll come to the hospital as soon as we can."

"OK."

Any further conversation was prevented as the ambulance pulled up and two medics jumped out. It didn't take them long to start an IV so that they could administer some fluids and pain relief, then they hooked their patient up to some oxygen, placed him on a gurney and loaded him in the ambulance.

"Call when you know anything," Gibbs told Ducky as he watched the older man climb in the back.

"Of course Jethro, give this to Abigail; it's the swab I took from Timothy's hand. Perhaps she can tell us what was used." Ducky nodded and the doors closed.

Ziva, Tony, Gibbs and Palmer stood and watched the ambulance pull away, hoping that Tim really would be alright.

-NCIS-

Doctor Rebecca Lambert was on duty in the ER when Agent Timothy McGee was wheeled in. She sighed as she directed the EMT's to a trauma room.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Someone threw an unidentified liquid in Agent McGee's face. It's caused burns to his face and eyes as well as some burns to his hands," replied one of the EMTs who then also listed off Tim's vitals and what he'd been given to help.

"Alright let's move him over," instructed Doctor Lambert.

"Just going to slide you over to the ER's bed Tim," the other EMT told his patient, who merely nodded in response, "He startles easily," he told the doctor.

"Hardly surprising," stated the doctor as she waited for the EMTs to withdraw and she turned her attention back to her patient, not even noticing the older man still in the trauma room, "Tim, its Doctor Lambert, how's the pain on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst?" she asked, needing to assess his awareness as well as his pain level.

"Seven," the response was quick and quiet.

"Alright," she turned to one of the nurses and ordered more pain medication, "I'm going to tell you what we're going to do before we do it and then talk you through it, alright?"

"OK… is Ducky still here?"

"I'm still here lad," Ducky was quick to reassure before Doctor Lambert could answer.

"I didn't see you there, sorry," Doctor Lambert nodded a greeting.

"Not a problem, your attention was where it should be," he nodded towards Tim.

"Well why don't you step over here and stand with Tim," she suggested.

"Of course," Ducky came and stood near the foot of the bed, out of the way of the medical staff but close enough to place his hand on Tim's leg so he'd know he was there, "You're doing fine Timothy, just let Doctor Lambert do her job."

"First thing, we're going to get you out of your clothes and get a hospital gown on you," she nodded towards a nurse who talked Tim through the removal of his clothes, which were placed in a bag. She then talked him through a check of his airway and his other vitals, securing a nasal cannula to help maintain his oxygen levels. "Now I'm going to test the pH of your eyes, face and hands, do you understand what that means?"

"Yeah. Testing whether the liquid was alkali or acid."

"That's right," she took what she needed and carried out the test, talking Tim through everything she did. It was disconcerting for patients to not be able to see what was going on and she didn't want to cause Tim further stress.

"My assistant, Mr Palmer, and I started irrigating his eyes and face while a team mate used saline solution on his hands as soon as we could, probably no more than five minutes after the incident," Ducky informed her.

"That's good, reduces the chances of any permanent damage," she mumbled as she looked at the pH, "Alright, the liquid was an acid…"

Tim took a sharp intake of breath at hearing that. If he lost his sight then he'd no longer be able to work at NCIS. All his skills revolved around being able to see what he was doing.

A hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed, "That's actually a good thing Tim. Alkalis are more dangerous and tend to cause more damage than acids. At the moment the pH is three and we need to get that to around seven point five to neutralise the acid. We're going to use a Morgan Lens system to make this easier. Basically it's a small disc with a tube attached, we've got an IV bag of Lactated Ringers solution attached to the tube and we've already got a flow rate going so it will start to irrigate straightaway. First I'm going to apply a topical ocular anaesthetic," she let him know as she was doing this to each eye, "Now I want you to look down for me and I'm going to lift your upper lid on your right eye and insert the lens," Tim did as she asked despite not being able to open his eyes properly, "Now look up and I'm going to retract your lower right lid and put the lens in. Good, well done. I'm just going to tape the tube to your forehead and then we'll do the same with the left eye," she talked him through the same procedure and then talked to him as the medi-duct collection system for the outflow was secured to each side. "I'm going to examine your hands and the rest of your face now," she told her patient. The eyes had to be her priority but now that they were being continuously irrigated she could deal with the burns on his hands and face.

"How are you doing Timothy?" asked Ducky gently once the nurses and Doctor Lambert had finished setting up the lens.

"OK. How long will this take?" he asked, it wasn't exactly the most comfortable of experiences.

"The recommendation is two litres of solution per affected eye, so we need to run four litres. We need to ensure that the solution doesn't run out because the lens actually floats on the fluid which is more comfortable for you. Once we're nearing the end of the four litres we'll remove the lens and test the pH. If the pH is around seven point five then you'll be released with topical ophthalmic antibiotics and oral pain medication, if not then we'll continue to irrigate until we get the pH to where it needs to be."

"What are the chances…" Tim gulped, "Of my sight being affected?"

"Doctor Mallard started irrigation almost immediately but you will need to be assessed by an ophthalmologist before we can determine the level or grade of your injury. I'm hopeful that there will be no permanent damage, but as I said…"

"Yeah, I get it," sighed Tim.

"Alright Tim, Nurses Donna and Jim are going to treat your hands. We need to irrigate them as well, but to do it they'll slowly pour some Ringers over each hand. Your hand will sit over a bowl to catch the water and then we'll put burn dressings on them. I'm going to have to do the same to your face, but I'll put some towels around you to catch the flow."

The two nurses took it in turns to speak to their patient making sure he knew which of his hands they would be touching and when. Just a few minutes later he was lying with each of his hands at his sides, resting on the edge of a bowl. Again, it wasn't comfortable but he knew it was necessary.

Tim shivered as the solution ran over his hands and Doctor Lambert immediately requested another blanket and another litre of fluid for his IV, "We need to make sure that you keep warm and keep hydrated," she told him quietly. He simply nodded in response, too exhausted to speak and too scared to sleep.

-NCIS-

"How's McGee?" Balboa asked Gibbs as the man returned to the bullpen.

"He's on his way to the hospital, Ducky's with him. He'll call when they have an update. What ya got?"

"We're just going through the footage around the time of the attack," Balboa replied, "Leading up to it there were no reports of anybody acting suspiciously."

"OK, keep looking, I need to go and speak to Abby."

"Good luck!"

Gibbs huffed in response before he, Tony, Ziva and Jimmy left to go and speak with Abby. Though the others would let the Team Leader tell the Goth they all wanted to be there for moral support. Gibbs entered a code outside the lab lifting the lockdown and entered.

"Gibbs!" Abby threw herself at the older man, "What's going on?" she looked over his shoulder at the other three. "Where are Ducky and McGee?"

"Abby…"

"Is one of them hurt? Both of them? Tell me Gibbs, tell me, tell me…"

"Calm down!" he barked as he put both his hands on her shoulders and held her away from him slightly, "There was an incident outside the building and McGee's been hurt," he ploughed on even as Abby started to tear up, "Someone threw a liquid in his face and it caused burns, Ducky has gone to Bethesda with McGee…"

"Oh my god! Was it an alkali or an acid, what was it?" she demanded, the chemist in her needing answers.

"We don't know. Ducky took a swab before he started treating him," he held it out for her and she quickly took it, having something to do forestalling her tears and hysteria even if only temporarily. "He's going to be alright though, isn't he Gibbs?"

"I didn't give him permission to be anything else Abs," he kissed her forehead, "Call me when you've got results," he walked out turning to Jimmy, "Stay with her."

"Yes Agent Gibbs."

Gibbs and the remaining two members of his team returned to the bullpen, "That went well," Tony mumbled to Ziva.

"Yes, but what will happen when she no longer has something to do? I do not envy Jimmy."

"Balboa!"

"Got a picture of the man who attacked McGee," the other agent responded without hesitation, "We've sent copies to all security teams and agents aboard the Yard."

"Lift the lockdown and have every car and person stopped to ensure that he doesn't get passed us," instructed Director Vance as he came down the stairs to the bullpen.

"They'll need more personnel at the gates for that Director."

"Take your team and join them Agent Balboa."

"Yes Sir," Balboa indicated to his three team members and they all hurried out of the bullpen.

"Gibbs, take your team and go to the hospital."

"Not until we catch this bastard! I told Tim that we'd get him and I'm not leaving until we do!"

Before Director Vance could respond Gibbs' cell rang, "What is it Abs?"

"The liquid was sulphuric acid."

"How easy is that to get?"

"In its purest form, it's not, but you can make it easily enough. Battery acid is approximately thirty five per cent sulphuric acid but the water can easily be removed from it at home to make concentrated sulphuric acid, if you know what you're doing."

"OK Abs. Look Balboa used security footage to get a picture of the man who did this; if I get Tony to forward the picture can you run it through facial recognition?"

"Sure Gibbs," the reply was less than enthusiastic.

"I know you want to see McGee but we need to get this guy…"

"OK," she sighed, "You'll call me if you get any news?"

"The second I hear anything," he hung up the phone and turned to Tony.

"Already done Boss."

Gibbs pressed his speed dial for Ducky and waited for the ME to answer; when he did he told the man what the liquid had been, even though it wouldn't make any difference to the care his agent was receiving. He also wanted an update.

"Boss?" Tony asked once he hung up.

"They're irrigating his eyes and treating the burns on his hands. He'll need to see an ophthalmologist in the next twenty four hours to assess the extent of the damage. We can't do anything for him at the moment so let's get out there and help in the search," ordered Gibbs, nodding at the Director as the three left the bullpen.

In the elevator Ziva turned to Gibbs, "What if this man has already left the Yard?"

"It would be difficult given the lockdown was initiated only moments after it happened," pointed out Tony.

"But not impossible," responded Ziva, "If this man has targeted McGee…"

Gibbs cursed and pulled out his cell, "Leon, need a protection detail for McGee."

"I've already sent two agents to Bethesda. I didn't want to take any chances with his safety if by some miracle the perpetrator made it off the Yard."

"Appreciate it Leon," Gibbs hung up and turned back to his two agents, "Director already has it in hand."

-NCIS-

"How the hell did he get off the Yard?!" growled Gibbs. He was stood in the bullpen with the rest of his team; Balboa and his team as well as the Director. The lockdown had been lifted and they'd looked at every person leaving the Yard and searched every car but there had been no sign of McGee's attacker. His cell phone rang sparing anyone from having to answer that question. "Gibbs!"

"I need you to come down to the lab."

"What is it Abs?"

"Just come down," she hung up.

"Abby has something," stated Gibbs as he walked out of the bullpen.

Moments later Abby's lab was full of agents wanting to know what was going on, what she had found.

"I know how he got off the Yard," she told them without any of her usual preamble.

"How?"

"A disguise," she brought up the picture that had been taken from the security camera and enlarged it then pointed to the big screen in her lab, "Look…"

"What the hell?" asked Tony as he moved closer to the screen.

"It's a small tear in the mask that he's wearing," Abby said.

"Mask?"

"Yeah, you can get these really cool, thin masks now, they're made from silicone and they move with the person's face when they wear it."

"That means we have no idea what he looks like!" Tony ran a hand through his hair.

"He's probably wearing contacts so we don't even know his eye colour. An earlier sweep of the Yard produced the bottle that was used to carry the sulphuric acid, but there were no prints on it. The guy was wearing gloves."

"It is a guy though, right?"

"Yup, I pulled back the image and there are no signs of any female features. This guy is six foot tall and weighs in the region of one hundred and eighty pounds, but that's just an educated guess."

"We need to find out where a mask like that can be bought," ordered Gibbs.

"He may have made it Gibbs, we don't know that he bought it," Abby reminded the Team Leader.

"That's true, but if we can track down where makes these masks we'll be able to find out what sort of skills and equipment are needed. If he did make it himself we might be able to track him through his equipment," Balboa wasn't giving up on finding this guy. He'd injured a good man; a good agent.

"Agent Balboa I want your team looking into that angle. Agent Gibbs, go to Bethesda, see your agent."

Ziva, Tony, Abby and Jimmy, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, all looked at Gibbs, hoping that he would agree. They all wanted to catch this guy, but none of them had set eyes on Tim for hours now and they wanted to see for themselves how he was doing.

Gibbs paused to think about it. He wanted this guy so badly he could taste it, after all one of his agents, his family, had been injured and he wouldn't rest until he'd been caught; however the Yard had been cleared and Balboa's team were perfectly capable of carrying out the search for the masks so he could take the time to check on Tim, check on his protection detail while he was there too, "OK, let's go. You'll call if you find anything?"

"Of course Gibbs, go check on your boy," Balboa told him, "Let us know how he's doing."

"Meet in the parking lot in five minutes," Gibbs instructed the four he knew would be going to the hospital as well. Jimmy would need to retrieve his things from autopsy and Abby would need to shut down her machines.

Just over five minutes later Gibbs was driving Abby and a very nervous Jimmy while Tony and Ziva followed in another car.

-NCIS-

"Not much longer now lad," Ducky was sitting by Tim's bed, his hand on the younger man's arm, offering comfort and reassurance as much as possible.

"What's the time?" Tim's tone was one of a tired man who just couldn't relax enough to sleep.

"Nearing midnight."

"Is there something you're not telling me? Should it take this long?"

"Heavens, no Timothy! You know everything that I know. The flow has to be steady and it takes time for the fluid to run. Honestly, it won't be too much longer. The last bag is only about half full."

"Or half empty," Doctor Lambert stated as she stepped into the room, "How are you doing Tim? How's the pain?"

"I'm OK, the pain isn't too bad."

"Well I'm going to top up your pain medication anyway. The best way to keep your pain manageable is to keep on top of it," she told him as she inserted a syringe into his IV port. "You have some visitors, are you up for some more company?"

Tim immediately knew who she was referring to, "Sure."

Not a minute later there was the sound of several pairs of feet as they entered the trauma room which still housed Tim. He'd only be admitted if they couldn't get the pH neutralised.

"Timmy!"

"Abigail…" Ducky's voice held a gentle warning.

It must have worked as Abby settled with just taking his arm and squeezing it instead of giving the rib crushing hug that Tim knew she wanted to, "Hey Abs."

"Whoa, Probie that looks freaky…" Tony was referring to the tubes taped to the younger man's forehead. Anything else he was going to say was broken off by the familiar sound of a head slap, "Thanks Boss."

"Hello McGee, how are you feeling?"

"Hi Ziva, the pain is a lot better since they started irrigating my eyes…"

"Plus they've been giving him regular pain relief," supplied Ducky.

"Did you get him?"

"Why don't you four take Ducky and get something to drink," said Gibbs.

"I want to stay with Timmy."

"Boss, we only just got here."

"It wasn't a suggestion DiNozzo."

"Yes Boss," replied Tony, a little petulantly.

"Come on Doctor Mallard, we'll see if we can find you some tea," Jimmy said to his mentor.

"I'll be back shortly Timothy," he squeezed Tim's arm once more before leaving him with Gibbs.

"Boss?"

"No Tim, we didn't get him," he then proceeded to tell his agent about the disguise, "Did you see anything, did he say anything?"

"He just called my name. I turned but there were several men in the vicinity and I didn't recognise any of them. The next thing I know there's a liquid being thrown in my face and its burning!" Tim's breathing had started to get faster as he spoke.

"It's alright Tim, you're going to be fine, just take some deep breaths for me," Doctor Lambert had appeared out of nowhere.

"Sorry…"

"You've got nothing to be sorry about McGee," Gibbs assured him.

"I should think not," Ducky had returned cup of tea in hand.

"I think it's time to check the pH in your eyes Tim."

"I'll be just outside with the others McGee," Gibbs told him as he headed out of the room.

"The process works the same as putting the Morgans lens in, just in reverse. I'll talk you through it and Jim is going to help me," Doctor Lambert told him, letting him know that there was someone else in the room. It only took a few minutes for the lens to be removed and the pH to be tested, "Excellent, the pH is back within normal range at seven point three. That will do nicely."

"Does that mean I can go home?"

Doctor Lambert chuckled, "I need to arrange an appointment with one of our ophthalmologists, write up a prescription for some antibiotic eye drops and pain relief. While I do that Jim will put an eye patch on each of your eyes."

"Eye patches? Seriously?" groaned Tim.

"Yes Tim. Your eyes have been through a lot, they need rest, not you trying to use them. An eye patch will ensure they get that rest. When you see the ophthalmologist tomorrow they will decide how long you need to use the eye patches for."

"Tony's going to have a field day!" Tim grumbled.

Ducky smiled and patted Tim's arm, "It's for the best Timothy. Now will you be alright with Jim while I go and speak to Jethro?"

"Yeah, sure," the nurse had been in and out throughout Tim's treatment and he felt comfortable with him and knew that Ducky wouldn't be far away.

-NCIS-

"Alright Tim, we're here," Abby told her friend as she opened the car door and ran round to open his. With Ducky's help she guided him out so that he didn't hit his head. Then Ducky and Abby walked with him to the front door, guiding him up the steps using both their hands and verbal instructions. Jimmy and Gibbs followed slowly behind.

Tim was extremely tense. Not only couldn't he see where he was going but he was unfamiliar with the location, or at least less familiar than he was with his own apartment. He'd tried to argue with Gibbs that he would be fine back at his own place, but the Team Leader had vetoed that idea immediately and sent Tony with Ziva to collect some things for Tim who would be staying with him. It wasn't just the fact that Tim couldn't see right now, it was also that the man who did this was still out there. They didn't know who it was or what motive he had for doing it and there was no way that Gibbs was going to leave Tim unprotected. The two agents that had been at the hospital had followed in their car and were now checking the perimeter before taking up guard duty at the front and back doors.

"Abs, take him upstairs and settle him in my room…"

"I'll be fine on the couch!" insisted Tim.

"You're injured and you will sleep in a proper bed Tim, the ensuite bathroom will also make it easier for you," Gibbs had thought long and hard about whether going upstairs would be a good idea, but there was only a toilet downstairs so he'd have to tackle them sooner or later. It seemed that it would be better to get it over and done with; once he was upstairs he could stay up there until after his shower.

Abby guided Tim over to the stairs and placed his hand on the banister and then stood on the other side taking one stair at a time. The frustration was building and Gibbs knew it was only a matter of time before Tim exploded and he planned to tackle it before that happened but first he wanted to get Tim settled.

Shortly after Abby had helped Tim upstairs Ziva and Tony arrived with a bag of his things and Jethro the dog in tow.

"Ziva take the mutt and introduce him to the agents on duty, I don't want him going for them when he doesn't recognise them. Tony, take the bag upstairs to my room." Gibbs followed Tony intending to chase Abby out so that Tim could get changed and into bed.

"Hey, McPirate!" Tony had been dispatched to get McGee's things before the younger man had been discharged and hadn't seen him.

"Tony…" Abby was about to tell the SFA off when his head shot forward and again the familiar sound of a head slap rang out.

"Thanks Boss," Tony said as he rubbed the back of his head. That had been harder than earlier, "Got your things McGee," he stated as he dropped the bag on the bed.

"Thanks Tony," mumbled Tim.

"Abby, Tony downstairs," ordered Gibbs.

"I was gonna help Timmy change…"

"Abs, downstairs, don't make me repeat myself again!"

"Fine," she huffed, planting a kiss on Tim's cheek before getting off the bed and leaving the room.

Gibbs went to the bag and unpacked it as Tim sat quietly on the bed, brooding. The Team Leader waited patiently for what he knew was coming and wasn't disappointed.

"What if I lose my sight?" the question was quiet and full of fear.

"Doctor Lambert thought that was unlikely Tim, but if it happens then I guess we cross that bridge when we come to it."

"We? We? There is no we," scoffed Tim angrily, "If I lose my sight or it's even impaired I lose my job! One that I love. It's me this affects, not you or Tony or Ziva! I won't even be able to get a job working with computers if I can't see the damn screen!"

Gibbs stopped what he was doing and walked quickly over to the bed and administered a gentle head slap, "You really think that little of this team, that it won't affect us? Damn it McGee you've been with us for years, of course it would affect us if you couldn't work with us anymore!"

"You'd just get another computer tech or use someone from Cyber Crimes," Tim knew he was being unfair, that his place on the team was more than just being the tech guy, though some days it didn't feel like it, but he was scared out of his mind right now and lashing out at the only person currently in the room.

"I don't want another computer tech McGee! None of the techs working for NCIS have your field experience. Yes I need you to do the computer stuff but I also need you out in the field! Whether you believe it or not you're an important member of this team and if you can no longer do the job then it affects everyone on this team from me right through to Ducky and Palmer!"

"I don't know how to do this. I can't spend my life in darkness when I rely on my sight so much for everything, including my job!"

Gibbs sighed and sat down next to his youngest agent, "I know you're scared Tim, but you can't start to think like that. You need to wait to hear what the ophthalmologist says tomorrow," He glances at his watch, "Well today actually, but you can't make decisions until you know what you're dealing with." A quiet knock at the door interrupts them, "Yeah," barks Gibbs.

"It's just me Jethro, I have Timothy's medication," states Ducky as he opens the door and steps through, pushing it closed behind him.

"It'll be OK Tim," Gibbs squeezed his shoulder and got up from the bed, "Whatever happens we'll be there with you. We've got your six."

"I know, thanks Boss. Sorry for, well you know…"

"Nothing to be sorry for Tim. You're scared and angry, I get that. Take your pills and get some rest."

"Here you are Timothy," Ducky took Tim's hand and placed a couple of tablets in it, "There's pain medication and a light sedative to help you sleep."

"I don't need a sedative Ducky," Tim told the ME.

"Nonsense, dear boy. You've had a traumatic day and need some proper rest. I know you and if you don't have some help that brain of yours will kick in and you'll never sleep."

"Take the sedative McGee. I'll make sure you're up in plenty of time for your appointment."

"OK," he really was exhausted but Ducky was right, the moment he was alone his brain would start to go through all the scenarios and as Gibbs had already said he needed to wait and see what the specialist said later. He swallowed the pills and then both Ducky and Gibbs helped him get ready for bed. By the time he had gone through the motions the sedative was starting to take affect and he was grateful to crawl under the covers.

"Night Timothy, shout out if you need anything."

"Are you staying Ducky?"

"Of course I am Timothy, now sleep."

"Night Ducky, Boss."

The two older men watched as sleep took over their charge and then slipped out of the room leaving the door slightly ajar so they could hear him if he got up.

-NCIS-

Tim groaned as he woke, automatically putting up his hands to rub his eyes. Of course two things stopped that, the dressings on his hands and the eye patches covering his injured eyes, he supposed he should be grateful that the doctor hadn't insisted on dressing the burns on his face, he'd have looked like a mummy! It was the moment that the previous day's events came crashing back down, reminding him what was to happen later that day.

Carefully he swung his legs over the edge of the bed to sit up, making sure that he was sitting on the right side of the bed before standing up and putting a hand out. Bedside table, check. A few steps forward, dresser, check. A few more steps the door to the bathroom, check. He sighed in relief as he recalled Gibbs showing him how to find the bathroom, glad that the man had taken the time. With minimal fuss Tim found the sink and the toothbrush and toothpaste that Gibbs had left next to it. Using his fingers he found the head of the toothbrush and squeezed a small amount of toothpaste onto it. It was strange to find it so difficult to do something so normal. Next he found the toilet and took care of the pressure in his bladder.

"Timothy?"

"Be right out Ducky," he called back as he returned to the sink to wash his hands.

"Ah, how are you this morning lad?"

"I'm OK Ducky. What's the time?"

"Just after ten."

"Wow I slept late," responded Tim as he was normally up, even on a day off, by eight in the morning.

"Well we didn't get in until gone one this morning. Do you want to take a shower?"

"I'd love to," he could still smell the antiseptic of the hospital on his skin.

Ducky chuckled, "Alright let's get you set up then."

The two men entered the bathroom, with Ducky guiding Tim this time. The ME then took the time to place all of Tim's things within reach and in a certain order, telling him where they were and how to locate them without the benefit of his vision. The dressings on his hands made him a bit clumsier but Ducky had insisted he keep them on and he'd change them once Tim had finished. Once Ducky was satisfied Tim had all he needed he left the bathroom but stayed in the bedroom so that he was nearby if the other man got into difficulty.

Tim was relieved to have managed a shower by himself, more or less. It had taken longer than normal but it was a good feeling to accomplish something that last night had been a worry. The simplest things now seemed like a daunting task to Tim. He stood in the bedroom and found the clothes that Ducky had put out for him, heading back downstairs after changing the dressings on his hands and the eye patches, to give the younger man some privacy as he dressed.

Once again Tim's sense of touch came into play, using the tips of the fingers that weren't covered with dressings to find the label on the t-shirt so he knew he wasn't putting it on back to front, wouldn't Tony just love to tease him about that! The trousers were a pair of jeans, he could tell from the thick material as he found the waistband and located the zip and button. Sitting on the bed he pulled the jeans on and then found his socks. These were a little more difficult and he had to twist one of them round once it was on, realising that the heel was in the wrong place. Standing up he then did his jeans up and ran his fingers through his hair, not able to see what it looked like he found he really didn't care, though luckily it was short enough that it didn't really matter too much. Satisfied that he was dressed and knowing that a pair of his shoes were downstairs he headed out the bedroom door, moving with his hand on the wall until he came to the opening that indicated the stairs.

"What the hell are you doing?" growled Gibbs from down below him, startling Tim.

"Jethro! For heaven's sake don't scare the poor boy!" chided Ducky passing him and going up to meet Tim.

"He should have called for one of us, he could have fallen down the stairs Duck!" Gibbs justified.

"That's as may be but scaring him when he's standing at the top isn't the best idea!" Ducky turned to Tim.

"I was just about to call you Ducky," Tim told the ME as he placed a hand on his elbow to help guide him down the stairs.

"Maybe it would have been prudent to call for one of us before you got to the top of the stairs lad. Jethro's right, you could easily have fallen."

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Quite alright lad, no harm done," Ducky told him as he guided him into the kitchen and settled him at the table.

It was quiet while the three men had breakfast. Gibbs and Ducky had both insisted that the others stayed away until after Tim's appointment so as not to overwhelm him, there had been protests but in the end they had agreed, albeit reluctantly. The silence remained as they got ready and left for the hospital to meet with the ophthalmologist, the agents on protection detail for the day following closely behind.

-NCIS-

Tim sat in the doctor's office with Gibbs and Ducky waiting for the ophthalmologist to come and tell him what the outcome of the visit was. He had known the moment the eye patches were removed that he could see, though his vision was extremely blurred. The question now was would his vision improve or was he stuck with only seeing those blurry images for the rest of his life.

"Alright Tim," Doctor Spencer slid into the chair behind his desk, "I'll cut to the chase. All the tests I've done show that you have a grade two injury. There may be a small amount of scarring but you should recover full vision in time."

"No vision loss?" Tim could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"None. You need to continue with the antibiotic eye drops and I need to see you again in a week. I expect you to rest your eyes though Tim. Just because you won't lose any vision you are still recovering from an ocular chemical burn. No reading, at all. No watching television. Don't do _anything_ that will strain your eyes. In fact I want you to continue to wear the eye patches for today," he walked round the desk and started to put a fresh pair over Tim's eyes, "only remove them when it's time to put in the eye drops, though you can take them off before going to sleep tonight."

"And tomorrow?"

"See how things go. If your eyes start to hurt then replace the eye patches, it's a sign that you're doing too much with them and they're straining. The natural thing is to use our eyes unless they're covered; you need to build back up to using them all day. It's the same as if you've broken a bone, it takes time for it to heal and for you to be able to use it fully again."

"How long before I can return to work?"

Doctor Spencer rolled his eyes at the question, "It depends on how your eyes are healing Tim, I'll know more when I see you next week, but you can count on being out of the office for at least two weeks."

"Two weeks? I can live with that," he nodded. It wasn't that long ago that he'd thought he might never be able to return to work, two weeks seemed like a small price to pay.

"At _least_ two weeks!" cautioned Doctor Spencer, "Any more questions?" he asked, when there were none he smiled, "Good, I'll see you in a week, make the appointment on your way out."

"Thanks Doctor Spencer."

Gibbs and Ducky both shook the doctor's hand before leading Tim out to make his appointment for the following week.

-NCIS-

Tim walked off the elevator into the orange walled bullpen. He had to admit he'd never thought he'd be pleased to see that colour, but when you had spent even just a few hours worrying you might not see it again it was a relief to be able to take in the less than appealing, in his opinion at least, colour.

"Hey Probie, welcome back!" greeted Tony as he walked past the older man's desk.

"Thanks Tony," McGee gave him a warm smile and then sat at his desk and turned on his computer. He had been away for three weeks in the end, but his eyes and hands had healed fully, much to his delight.

"It is good to see you back McGee," said Ziva as she walked over and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush.

"Timmy!" Abby came rushing into the bullpen, pulled him out of his seat and enveloped him in a crushing hug.

"Hey Abs, you only saw me last night!" laughed Tim.

"I know, but that wasn't here!" she told him. She gave him a smile and then held out a stuffed toy parrot she had been holding onto, "This is for you!"

Tim chuckled, he'd been the butt of several jokes thanks to the eye patches, even more so when his left eye healed quicker than his right and he still needed to use one patch for the slower healing eye. He'd taken them all well because he knew it was only temporary, he was sure if the problem had been permanent his attitude would have been different.

"Thanks Abs," he took the parrot and sat it on his desk next to his flat screen monitor.

At that moment his computer finished loading and he could hear the distinct whirr of the CD drive and he immediately glanced over at Tony as music started to blare into the bullpen followed by the words _"We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot; Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho! We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot; Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho! Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me!"_

"Thanks Boss," Tony's automatic response to the not unexpected head slap made Tim grin.

"Turn that noise off McGee!" Gibbs ordered as he made his way back to his desk, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"On it Boss," he quickly stopped the song from playing but not before he caught several agents in the bullpen laughing. They all knew what McGee had been through and if the young agent could laugh it off then so could they.

"You got your paperwork for me Tim?" asked the Team Leader once he was settled in his chair.

"Yes Boss," Tim walked over and handed several bits of paper over, "Doctor Spencer's letter noting I am once again fit for duty and my fire arms requalification certificate. A copy has already been sent to HR."

"Firearms requalification? I didn't know you had to retake that," Tony spoke up from across the bullpen but slowly got to his feet and made his way, not so casually, across to stand in front of Gibbs' desk next to Tim, "What'd you score?"

"My vision had been impaired so the Director requested that I retake my firearms certificate to finalise my return to work," Tim shrugged, "As for what I scored… none of your business DiNosey!"

"Hey!" Tony wasn't sure what he was objecting to, the fact he hadn't known his younger partner had to retake his firearms test or the nickname.

Gibbs eyed the score, "The practice paid off then," he commented with a sly grin.

"Yeah Boss, it really did, thanks for the help, by the way. You too Ziva."

"It was my pleasure McGee," Ziva quickly saw where this was going and had to bite back a laugh at the look of disbelief on Tony's face.

"Wait… Gibbs and Ziva knew, but not only that, they helped you?!"

"Yeah, they did."

"Why didn't you tell me? I'd have helped."

"Yeah Tony, after you'd teased me mercilessly! I didn't need the extra pressure."

"What was your score McGee?" asked Ziva curiously.

"Two hundred and forty six," Tim replied, a little bit of pride creeping in to his tone.

"No way!" exclaimed Tony, "Let me see that!" He snatched the paperwork out of his boss' hand without even thinking, "That's higher than my score."

Gibbs snatched the paperwork back from his Senior Agent, "Practice DiNozzo, as I said."

"Huh, bet you wouldn't have scored that without Gibbs and Ziva's help," grumbled Tony.

"Actually, we didn't help him with his shooting, he didn't need it," Gibbs told him.

"Then what…?"

"We were merely his method of transportation since McGee was unable to drive himself." Ziva informed him. Tim had been told he wasn't to drive until Doctor Spencer had cleared him.

"In that case… Well done McGee," there was a note of pride in his tone now too; though there was a little bit of resentment for the fact the younger man had beaten his best score of two hundred and forty two.

"Thanks Tony," he smiled at the Senior Agent.

"Next time we're at the firing range I'm so beating your ass!"

"Keep telling yourself that, DiNozzo!" crowed Tim, a big grin on his face.

"That's enough, back to work!" Gibbs ordered. The three agents went to return to their desks but Gibbs called Tim back, "You alright with the detail being removed?"

"Yeah Boss," Tim told him, "There's been no sign of anyone suspicious and Vance can't keep a protection detail on me indefinitely, plus I'm now capable of protecting myself…"

"You were capable before McGee…"

"True, but nobody expected something like that to happen on the Yard, we're more aware now. I think it was just a distraction to stop us getting into those computer files."

"Didn't work though."

"No it didn't, but the guy had no way of knowing I was far enough into breaking the encryption that I could talk someone else through completing it. At least we recovered the savings that belonged to those families."

"Yeah, that we did," Gibbs allowed a small smile before he turned serious again. "Just… be careful. Anything even slightly suspicious, you report it, you hear?"

"Yes Boss."

"Good, now get back to work!"

Tim returned to his desk and started to check through the backlog of emails from where he'd been off. Gibbs leaned back in his chair and looked around at his three agents. Everything was as it should be again.

-NCIS-

**A/N:** I am not a medical expert and I know nothing about chemical burns or ocular injuries. There was very little I could find on what treatment would follow an injury of this nature once discharged from the hospital, so I couldn't go into lots of details and had to skip forward with a guess at how long it would take to recover... it's fiction so I don't feel too bad! The Morgans Lens however is real and I did research it before writing this chapter. I hope this one was OK for you.

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**


	5. E is for Exhaustion

**A/N: **I can't apologise enough for the time it has taken me to post this. There have been various personal reasons which I won't bore you with! I hope the 27,000+ words helps to make up for the delay.

Thanks to Irene Claire for letting me bounce ideas around with her and for generally kicking my backside into gear!

**WARNINGS: The below contains non-graphic mentions of child pornography and child abuse. If this offends you or in anyway may upset you please do not read.**

I have no computer skills or medical knowledge, so please cut me some slack!

E is for Exhaustion

Tim McGee was beyond tired as he dragged himself out of bed to get ready for another day at NCIS. For days his team had been working on a case involving a child pornography ring, a case that they were working alongside the FBI. He stood under the shower and thought back to that fateful day just over a week ago.

-NCIS-

Tim sat at 'his' desk in Abby's lab trawling through mounds of information on a laptop belonging to a missing Navy Lieutenant as Abby worked on the fingerprint and DNA evidence that had been collected from the Lieutenant's residence. He glanced over at her and smiled as she danced to the music playing, music that was thankfully at a less ear splitting level in deference to the fact Tim was also working in her lab.

"Found anything Timmy?" she asked as she caught him watching her.

Tim blushed at being caught staring but replied, "Not yet. His hard drive is a mess. I don't think he'd ever heard of system clean up or defragging," sighed Tim.

"Well if there's something to find, you'll find it," Abby nodded, not a trace of doubt in his abilities in her tone.

"I hope so, if I don't finish this soon Gibbs is gonna have my ass!"

"Just tell him you need more time."

"Yeah… No! That might work for you Abby, but not me," replied Tim as he continued to search through the mess of folders on the computer.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad!"

"Yes, Abby, he is! You know that if I try to explain the reason this is taking so long is because there's no order to how the computer is set up and there's multiple corrupted files he's not going to understand what that means!" The frustration in Tim's tone could clearly be heard. Yes, he was good, excellent in fact, with computers, but even he couldn't work miracles. Abby just didn't understand because she was Gibbs' favourite and therefore never _ever _incurred the Team Leader's wrath.

"Well then get back to it McGee!" stated Abby.

"Sounds like good advice to me," Gibbs growled as he entered the lab.

"Working on it Boss," Tim cringed wondering just how much the man had heard.

"What ya got for me Abs?"

"Nothing yet, Gibbs, you need to give my babies time to do their thing! I've got the prints running through AFIS as we speak."

"McGee?"

Tim had hoped that Gibbs would leave without asking him, "Nothing yet Boss. The files are a mess and I'm having to…"

"Less talkin' more workin'!" the slap to the back of the head punctuating the order.

"Yes Boss," McGee sighed internally. Of course Abby gets a kiss on the cheek and he gets a slap on the head, yet they both had nothing for their boss yet. Not that he wanted a kiss on the cheek, thank you very much, but it was the principal of the thing!

Abby watched the Team Leader leave the lab as she slurped on her Caf-Pow, then turned to Tim, "You OK?"

"Fine," he didn't even glance up from the laptop, "Actually, if you don't mind Abby, I'm going to take this through into your office, less distractions in there."

Abby placed her hands on her hips, "You find my company distracting McGee?"

"That's not it, I just need to concentrate and your office is a bit quieter," Tim wondered why he was justifying himself to her, but he always did it.

"Fine!" she turned on her heel and marched over to check on her machines.

"Abby…"

"Go, McGee."

Sighing Tim picked up the laptop and went into Abby's office, seating himself at her desk. For the next two hours he was completely absorbed in searching the laptop. He'd found that some of the 'corrupted' files weren't actually corrupted at all, they were encrypted, which considering the appearance of the laptop's hard drive was just odd. The Lieutenant's laptop gave Tim the impression of someone who knew next to nothing about computers so to have encrypted files seemed out of place. That set Tim to working on unencrypting those files and as luck would have it they weren't overly difficult for the MIT graduate. Opening up the first file that he'd managed to get into his jaw dropped and his complexion paled considerably. Hoping that it was just a one off he turned his attention to another file which contained more of the same thing. He needed to speak to Gibbs… this was going to set him off in a way that only cases involving kids could.

"Hey McGee…" Abby started towards her office.

Tim couldn't let her see what was on the screen and in a panic he grabbed the control for the office doors and closed it on her; knowing if she made it into the office him telling her that she shouldn't look would have no affect and she'd do just the opposite.

"What the hell...?! McGee, open this door!" she smacked her hand against the glass. Tim simply shook his head in reply as he picked up his cell and called his Boss.

"Gibbs."

"Boss…" Tim's voice shook slightly, "I… I need you to come down to Abby's office." He wasn't surprised when the only response he got was Gibbs hanging up on him.

Gibbs entered the lab only a few minutes later, with Ziva and Tony on his heels. Clearly the tone of Tim's voice had been enough to tell the man whatever he had was important.

Abby greeted him, "Gibbs, McGee won't let me into my own office!" she whined as she stamped her foot.

He gently moved her to one side before approaching the sliding glass doors, "Open up McGee."

"Not until you agree that Abby stays out there," Tim gulped as he refused.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. It was rare for Tim to disobey an order, but even rarer for him to stand up to Gibbs. The Team Leader's gut started to churn. Whatever his computer geek had found it had set him on edge, which in turn set _him_ on edge, "McGee…" the name was practically growled.

"No," he crossed his arms in front of his chest, hoping that Gibbs didn't notice the trembling.

Glancing over his shoulder Gibbs nodded to Ziva; then indicated Abby. The ex-Mossad officer raised an eyebrow but stepped over to stand by the lab rat, "McGee!"

Tim saw Ziva move closer to Abby and knew that was as much of a concession as he was going to get so pressed the button to open the door. Immediately Abby started to charge forward ready to give Tim a piece of her mind, but found herself prevented from doing so by Ziva's hands on her arms. She turned to glare at the Israeli who just shrugged as Tony and Gibbs entered the office. Once they were inside Tim closed the door behind them, just to be safe.

"Alright Probie, what's with the melodrama?" Tony asked; rolling his eyes as the door slid closed.

"This," he pointed at the screen in front of him and moved out of the way of the other two men.

Gibbs was getting fed up with not knowing what had McGee so on edge so walked around to look and cursed before slamming his hand onto the desk in front of him. Tony followed suit and joined in with the cursing, but refrained from taking his shock and disgust out on the furniture.

"How many?" Gibbs growled.

"I've managed to decode two files so far, but there are at least a dozen more. If each of those has the same amount of pictures in…" Tim swallowed, licked his lips nervously and then finished what he was saying, "We're looking at hundreds of pictures."

"I want you to finish doing what you were doing with those other files until you have every last photo. Do you hear me?"

"Yes Boss," Tim slid back into the chair as Tony and Gibbs both stepped away.

"And McGee…" Gibbs waited until the younger man looked up at him, "Keep this door secured."

Tim simply nodded in reply, opened the door to allow the two older men to leave and then quickly closed it again.

"Gibbs!" Abby stopped trying to get away from Ziva.

"He's doing it to protect you Abby," Gibbs told her gently.

"Protect me from what?" she demanded.

"McGee found," Tony took a deep breath, "Photos of kids on the laptop."

"So?"

"Pornographic photos."

Ziva swore in Hebrew and Abby's eyes became wide like saucers as her face paled further than normal. Glancing over Gibbs' shoulder at Tim she now saw the pallor of his skin and noticed the odd pause in his typing that would indicate something had unnerved him.

"I'm going up to see the Director," Gibbs informed his team, "Abby, leave McGee alone to work."

"Yes Gibbs," she replied quietly, turning back to go to her own workstation.

-NCIS-

Hours later Tim thought he was going to need to use bleach to wipe the images from his eyes and brain. In fifteen files he had catalogued over two hundred pictures of children in various states of undress and in various sexual situations.

Each file had contained pictures of a different child with at least ten images, some were boys and some were girls. Tim wasn't great with discerning ages but the youngest had to be about five and the oldest was probably no more than ten.

Abby had tried to get him to come out and take a break on more than one occasion but he had refused. Though he had been grateful to see Ziva appear at one point and distract Abby long enough for him to be able to leave the office and have a bathroom break before returning to his task. Other than that he had seen and spoken to no one in hours.

Each time he'd managed to get into a file he had set a search program going hoping to identify the children in the pictures.

Now he'd done all he could currently do and just sat staring at the screen, not really seeing as images flashed passed looking through multiple databases in a hope of identifying one of the children. Tim knew that there were men and women out there that were depraved enough to do these things, but to be confronted with it and then have to sit and go through pictures for hours on end… His thoughts were cut off by a beep from the computer. Glancing up he was both relieved and distressed to see that one of the children had been identified.

Tim opened up the case that the picture was linked to. Elizabeth Shanahan; aged eight; she had been missing for nearly a year and was the daughter of a Petty Officer, Jonathan Shanahan. Despite the assigned team's best efforts they had been unable to find Elizabeth.

Mechanically Tim got up from his desk and left Abby's office, ensuring he locked the door and pocketed the remote. The Goth tried to speak to him but he ignored her and headed for the elevator and on to the bull pen.

When Tim reached his desk he pressed some keys on his keyboard and the file appeared on the plasma in the squad room. Gibbs, Tony and Ziva hadn't asked any questions when McGee reappeared, all were concerned by the look on their team mate's face but he was intent in his task and when the pictures popped up on the plasma they all stood.

"I managed to identify one of the," he paused, "Children in the photos." He proceeded to tell them about Elizabeth Shanahan.

Gibbs sighed, he could see that McGee was running on fumes, "Tony, take McGee and bring some dinner back."

"Boss, I've still got fourteen children to identify…"

"What are you doing to try to identify them?"

"I'm running a search through the Violent Crimes Against Children missing children database as well as our own and Metro's missing persons database. I'm also looking at the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children's website."

"The searches of VCAC, Metro and our own databases are automated?" he asked.

"Yes Boss."

"Then you can take a break McGee. You need it. Go on," he nodded his head towards the elevator.

Tim simply nodded, grabbing his coat along with his wallet and gun out of his drawer, then he joined Tony to go and get some food for everyone.

"You OK Probie?" Tony's tone was filled with concern for the younger agent.

"Not really Tony," replied McGee, "Fifteen kids… How could anyone do that? They're just _kids_!" he rubbed his eyes.

"I don't know man, I really don't." The rest of the journey was silent except when they reached their destination of a nearby Chinese restaurant and placed their order. It would have been quicker if they'd called it in, but Tony understood that Gibbs wanted McGee out of the building and away from the images he'd been staring at most of the day.

The two men arrived back at the Yard and as they were going up in the elevator Tony spoke again, "If you need to talk, I'm here to listen Tim."

McGee looked momentarily startled to hear the use of his first name, but took the offer for what it was, a colleague concerned about another, "Thanks Tony, I'll be OK."

Tony gave him the once over and nodded briefly. He couldn't force the younger man to talk to him about things, but he'd at least put the offer out there.

Tony had taken some food down to Abby before returning to eat his own. The rest of the team were subdued as they ate their meal. Tim picked at his food, not really hungry but knowing that he needed to eat. When he was less than halfway through his meal he sealed his box of chicken pad Thai and got up without saying a word and headed back to the lab to check his searches. He could do it from his desk, but he felt like he needed the space to get his emotions under control if he'd managed to identify any more of the children.

The rest of the team watched in silence as he left. Tony pushed his chair back and walked to his Probie's desk; he opened the box and sighed, "He's eaten less than half…"

"I do not think I would be very hungry either if I had to look at those images of children being abused," Ziva told him.

"He'll be fine DiNozzo."

"Boss…"

"I said he'll be fine."

Tony glanced at Ziva who shrugged. Cases involving children sent them all a little crazy but Gibbs took it that much further, having been a father. Tony vowed silently to keep an eye on McGee anyway.

-NCIS-

Tim returned to Abby's lab, barely acknowledging her as he passed, opening and then quickly closing the door to her office. He collapsed into the chair then taking a deep breath turned his attention to the monitor in front of him.

Another child had been identified. This one was a boy. Tim quickly pulled up the details and discovered the boy's name was Charles Holden. The case was an FBI one and Tim needed more information. Checking the information for the case agent he decided to call them, even though he knew it was late.

The phone was answered by a female voice after a few rings, "Sutherland."

"Special Agent Sutherland, this is Special Agent Tim McGee, I work with NCIS, sorry to call so late."

"How can I help you Agent McGee?" asked Agent Sutherland.

"I came across some child pornography photos on the computer of a missing Navy Lieutenant. I've identified two out of fifteen children, one was the daughter of a Petty Officer and the other was Charles Holden. I believe that the Holden case was one of yours."

There was a heavy silence passing between the two for a moment before Agent Sutherland spoke, "Where are you based Agent McGee?"

"The Navy Yard in DC," he replied.

"I'll be there in thirty minutes," she told him, hanging up the phone before he could say anything.

Tim looked at his cell for a moment before putting it away and sighed. Gibbs was going to kill him; he'd possibly just inadvertently invited the FBI to take their case. Pushing to his feet he once again left Abby's office, making sure that the room was secured behind him.

"Timmy…" Abby tried to stop him.

"Not now Abs, I need to speak to Gibbs," he gave her an apologetic look but kept going; if Agent Sutherland turned up before he could tell his boss then he'd be in even bigger trouble.

The bullpen was relatively quiet, most of the other agents having left for the day a couple of hours ago. The only teams still in the bullpen were the other MCRT agents and the team scheduled to work overnight.

Tim approached Gibbs' desk, "Boss."

"What is it McGee?"

"I identified another child."

That got Gibbs' attention and he looked up at his agent, "And?"

"A boy named Charles Holden. It was an FBI Violent Crimes Against Children case. I spoke to the lead agent…" he trailed off.

"And?" prompted Gibbs, containing the urge to head slap the younger man.

"Special Agent Sutherland is on her way over here."

"What?"

"She'll be here in the next," he glanced at his watch, "Twenty five minutes."

"Are you telling me that you invited an FBI Agent to join our investigation?" growled Gibbs.

"No Boss! I called to get more details of the case but before I could ask she said she would be here in thirty minutes and hung up!"

"Oh I can't wait to meet her," Tony grinned, though it disappeared when he received a glare from his boss.

Gibbs stood up and leaned over his desk until he was practically nose to nose with McGee, "If she tries to take this investigation off us I will head slap you into next week!"

Tim was surprised that he managed to stand his ground when Gibbs leaned into his personal space, "I had no choice but to speak to her, she was the lead agent!" protested Tim.

"You should have spoken to me first!"

"You would have wanted more information, which I couldn't get without speaking to Agent Sutherland!"

Gibbs couldn't argue with that really, but he was angry that his agent hadn't come to him first. He would have called Fornell to get the necessary information if he had to, if it avoided the FBI ripping this case out from under them, "You listen to me, McGee, you come to me _before_ you speak to another agency in relation to one of our cases or you'll be back in Cyber Crimes before you can blink, do I make myself clear?!"

Tim was barely holding on to his temper. Gibbs would have ripped him a new one if he hadn't requested more information but he was getting bawled out regardless! He took a deep breath to prevent him from saying something he could end up regretting before he spoke, "Crystal."

"Get back to work!" growled Gibbs.

Tim turned to head back to Abby's office; he needed to get out of the bullpen. Before he could get passed the end of his desk someone called his name. Turning around he saw one of the security guards standing with a tall woman, realising this must be Agent Sutherland he turned back to greet her before Gibbs could say anything.

"Agent Sutherland, I'm Special Agent McGee," he reached out a hand for her to shake.

"Agent McGee," she gripped his hand in a firm handshake.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of the Major Case Response Team," he ushered her over to the team's area and quickly introduced everyone.

Tony was typically flirtatious; the woman was stunning after all. She stood about five foot ten and her dark hair fell in waves to her shoulders. Her skin was pale rather than tanned and her green eyes sparkled with intelligence. If Tony had to describe her in one word it would be 'Amazon'. The female agent gave him a knowing look before ignoring his attempts to flirt and turning back to Tim.

"I need to hook up my laptop," she indicated the bag in her hand.

Tim glanced at Gibbs who reluctantly nodded his agreement; they needed to know about this case, "I can set you up at my desk," he walked her over and waited for her to get her laptop out and logged in, "May I…?" he waved his hand at her laptop and when he received a nod of consent he quickly checked to make sure it was secure before linking it up to the plasma, "Anything you open on your laptop will now come up on our plasma as well," he indicated the screen between his and Tony's desks.

"You know your way around computers Agent McGee," stated Agent Sutherland with a raised eyebrow showing that it was more of a question than a statement.

"He should, he's our geek!" snorted Tony.

Agent Sutherland didn't look impressed with the comment but ignored it in favour of pulling up the case details for them to see. She then turned her full attention to the team, "Charles Holden, aged seven, he went missing nearly eighteen months ago. His father is a fire fighter, his mother is a nurse. They live in Georgetown. Charles was taken at Georgetown Waterfront Park while he was with his mother. She looked away for a moment to see to her five year old daughter who had fallen over and when she looked back Charles was gone. The alarm was raised immediately and the local police locked down the park within minutes, but it was enough time for Charles and whoever took him to just disappear. There was no ransom demand and no leads, Charles Holden just vanished."

"Did you suspect anyone?" asked Tim.

"No. The family and friends all checked out. I got the feeling that this was a stranger to Charles and the family."

"Well, thanks for bringing the case file over, Agent Sutherland," Gibbs said as she finished, "You could have just sent it across but it's always good to have the lead agent's view."

"Don't think you can dismiss me Special Agent Gibbs," responded Agent Sutherland, standing up and walking out from behind Tim's desk, "This was, and still is, _my_ case!"

"Well _my_ case is more recent than _yours_ so that makes it an NCIS case, not an FBI one," retorted Gibbs, "We'll let you know if we find anything else about the Holden case."

"I don't think so!"

"Er, Boss," Tim spoke before Gibbs could say anything else. He knew he was just asking for trouble but he had been the one to sit and look at those photos for hours and he thought that Agent Sutherland could offer them assistance, she was after all an expert in cases that involved children, "I've still got thirteen children to identify, perhaps Agent Sutherland could be of some help?"

Tony and Ziva watched in silence, waiting for the train wreck. Not only had McGee interrupted Gibbs, but he'd also opened the door for another agency and given information about their current case by mentioning how many children he still had to identify.

"I'd be happy to use my expertise in crimes against children to help with your case," Agent Sutherland smiled sweetly, though if you looked closely it didn't reach her eyes as she stood in front of the MCR Team Leader.

Gibbs glared at McGee, his youngest agent having put him in an awkward spot. Still this involved children so he'd take the help but he'd be calling the shots, "Fine. This is still an NCIS case and we _will_ take the lead."

"Of course," nodded Agent Sutherland.

"McGee, take Agent Sutherland down to Abby's office and get to work."

"Yes Boss," Tim turned to the FBI agent and nodded his head to indicate she should follow him.

The pair were silent as they entered the elevator but once the door closed Tim turned to Agent Sutherland and apologised, Gibbs' rules be damned, "Agent Sutherland, I'm sorry about Special Agent Gibbs, he's…"

"Intense?" supplied Agent Sutherland, "Please, if we're going to be working together, at least for now, call me Daisy."

"Alright, Daisy, then call me Tim," he smiled as they exited the elevator and entered Abby's lab. Tim quickly introduced the two ladies and then led Daisy into the office, closing the door behind her. When she raised an eyebrow he explained, "I didn't want Abby to see these pictures unless absolutely necessary; it would upset most people but it would devastate Abby."

"Fair enough. Show me what you have Tim."

Tim pulled up a second chair and the pair sat in front of the computer as he explained how the situation they found themselves in had come about, "I'm searching nationwide databases. I'm really not sure what else I can do right now."

"You're doing all you can," Daisy assured him.

"How can you work these kinds of cases all the time?" Tim wanted to know. Less than twenty four hours in to this case and he was already sick to his stomach. He couldn't imagine doing it every day.

"Do you have kids?" She asked, when Tim shook his head in response she carried on, "I do. I have a girl, she's eleven and a boy who's eight," Daisy got out her phone and showed Tim a photo of a girl with the same dark hair but with brown eyes and a boy with lighter sandy coloured hair with Daisy's green eyes, "Every time I work a case I do it to protect them as well as my nieces and nephews."

"Doesn't having a child make it harder to separate yourself from the work?"

"Sometimes, yes. There have been cases that have hit too close to home, a child the same age or with a similar appearance but a lot of our cases end up reuniting families. The best feeling in the world is when you can return a child to their parents and lock up the person that hurt that child."

"How do you manage to have a family and still keep doing this kind of work?" Tim would love a family of his own but keeping a stable home life in the line of work that he was in would be difficult.

"You're kind of nosey!" laughed Daisy.

Tim blushed furiously, "Oh god! I'm sorry; I didn't mean… it's just…"

"Hey, it's OK. I don't mind, really. I'm lucky. I have a fantastic husband who is extremely supportive of what I do. He works from home a lot so my daughter and son always have one parent available to them and I try to make sure I'm home as much as possible for meals and bed time, even if that means going home for a couple of hours before returning to the office."

"It can't be easy."

"No, it's not, but then anything worth doing quite often isn't."

"That's true. This job is certainly worthwhile, but isn't easy!"

"With a boss like you have, definitely not!" laughed Daisy.

"Gibbs is a great boss, but cases with kids are hard for him," Tim shrugged, used to the way Gibbs behaved.

Daisy sensed there was more behind those words but decided not to pry; it clearly wasn't Tim's story to tell. Their conversation was interrupted by Gibbs knocking on the glass door, which Tim unlocked.

"Found anything else?"

"Not yet Boss."

"Alright, wrap it up for tonight. Be back here at 07:00."

"Would it be alright if I come back with a member of my team?" asked Daisy, "I really do think we can help you and there are a lot of children involved here."

Gibbs looked at her thoughtfully, the VCAC could probably provide valuable insights into their case and the woman in front of him wasn't trying to wrestle the case from under him, "Yeah, OK." He nodded and left.

"Wow."

"Yeah, Tony refers to him as the functional mute," Tim chuckled, "Thanks for your help so far. I just need to grab my bag from my desk and I'll escort you out," he left the computer searching, hoping that by morning they would have more of the children identified. Abby's machines were already off, the Goth having already gone home. Tim secured the door and turned off all the lights as he left, leaving the lab with just the glow of the streetlights coming through the windows.

Returning to the bullpen Tim found that Gibbs was the only one left. He grabbed his bag and bade his boss a good night before escorting Agent Daisy Sutherland to her vehicle and thanking her for her help so far. Tim got behind the wheel of his Porsche and drove home where he took his dog, Jethro, for a brief walk before taking a shower and falling into bed.

-NCIS-

Tim turned over for what seemed like the hundredth time, punching his pillow in an effort to get more comfortable, or maybe just taking out his frustration on an inanimate object because he couldn't sleep. When he'd first fallen into bed he'd managed to get to sleep quite easily but it had only been a couple of hours later when he'd been woken by a nightmare that left his heart pounding in his chest. He glanced at the clock and groaned; he'd been trying to get back to sleep for over an hour. Flopping onto his back he stared at the ceiling before coming to a decision. He threw back the covers and got up, throwing on some sweat pants and a t-shirt. Jethro looked up from his bed by the bedroom door.

"Come on boy, let's get out of here," he slipped on a pair of trainers, grabbed Jethro's leash and clipped it to his collar. The German shepherd wasn't fazed by the early hour, used to his human's strange habits.

An hour later found Tim showered and ready for work. His run with Jethro had helped clear his mind so that he was no longer plagued by the images of children being abused but he knew that he wouldn't be getting any more sleep. He made sure that Jethro had enough water before leaving to head into the Yard.

"Morning Agent McGee," greeted the security guard at the gate to the Yard, "You're early." Though out of all the agents assigned to the Yard the MCRT were the most likely to be working odd hours.

"Morning Mike," responded Tim, "Yeah, couldn't sleep," he shrugged as he replied. Once the gate was up he drove through after thanking the guard.

Once in the NCIS building he took the elevator to the bullpen where he dumped his bag. A quick trip to the break room to get a cup of coffee and then he took the back elevator to Abby's lab.

Tim knew better than to touch Abby's machines so he just turned on the lights and went to her office. Once the door was locked behind him he went to the computer and found that another six children had been identified overnight. Only eight children out of fifteen identified so far but he could see that the computer was still going through various databases so there was still hope that the others would also be identified. He pulled up the details of each of the children identified and then settled in to find out who was in charge of each case, this time though he didn't contact anybody, not wanting to feel the wrath of Gibbs again!

The computer that was carrying out the searches was working flat out so he returned to his desk and started carrying out multiple background searches on anyone linked to the children identified, including Elizabeth Shanahan and Charles Holden. It's possible that he could find something that didn't show up during the original investigations or that something was missed; anyway he knew that Gibbs would want new background checks done regardless so he might as well get them started. He didn't have the files on the six cases found overnight but the brief details he could access gave the information necessary to at least start searches on the parents. Once he had a search running on all eight sets of parents he decided to return to Abby's office. Both his computer and Abby's were now running as many searches as they could manage. Ideally he needed the computing power of MTAC or maybe Cyber Crimes but he needed authorisation for that. He'd ask Gibbs when he got in.

-NCIS-

The security guard stepped out of his booth as a car pulled up, "Morning Agent Gibbs," he greeted the man behind the wheel of the car, "One of your agents beat you in this morning!"

"Morning Mike; is that right? Which one?" Gibbs replied, though he figured he already knew.

"Agent McGee. He came through at just after 04:00."

Gibbs sighed, he had guessed it would be McGee, "Thanks Mike," he parked his car and headed for the nearby coffee shop he favoured. Fifteen minutes later he was knocking on the glass of the door to Abby's lab.

McGee startled at the sound of the knock on the glass but pressed the button to open the door when he saw Gibbs, "Morning Boss."

"McGee," he greeted his youngest agent, handing him one of the cups in his hand and dropping a brown paper bag on the desk.

"Oh, thanks Boss." Tim took the drink, taking a sip of the hot liquid. He would have moaned in pleasure if his boss hadn't been standing right there. He then opened the paper bag to find a breakfast burrito and raised an eyebrow.

"Figured you wouldn't have had breakfast yet, you know, considering you were here at 04:00!"

"Oh, er, thanks," he blushed slightly at being caught out but gratefully tucked into the food.

"What were you doing here so early McGee?"

"Couldn't sleep," Tim shrugged.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Tim looked up, a little surprised, "No, I'm fine Boss, just too much going on in my head."

"You sure?" pressed Gibbs. He knew that he was hard on his team, but he was there to listen if they needed it, though from the look of surprise on Tim's face it looked like the younger man needed reminding, "I'm here to listen if you need someone to talk to McGee."

"Er, no, I'm good, thanks Boss."

"Doors always open Tim," Gibbs reminded him.

"Yeah, thanks," Tim was a little confused now. Not only was Gibbs offering to listen to him if he needed it and reminding him that his door was always open but he also called him Tim!

Gibbs nodded, believing that the message had been received, "What have you got?"

Tim gave his boss a brief overview of what he'd been doing since he got in, not wanting to go into too much detail because he'd only have to repeat it for Tony and Ziva, maybe even Agent Sutherland. "So of the six new cases identified, one is NCIS, one is Metro and four are FBI, but not Agent Sutherland's unit."

"I'll put a call into Fornell," stated Gibbs, "Let's go back up to the bullpen, Ziva and Tony should be in by now."

Tim followed Gibbs out of the lab to the elevator, "Boss, I can't keep using Abby's office, apart from the fact I'm keeping her out of her own office, the computer doesn't have enough processing power for all the searches. I've maxed out both mine and hers already."

"What do you need?"

"Space in Cyber Crimes or access to MTAC."

"I'll speak to Vance," Gibbs replied as they stepped out into the bullpen. Tony, Ziva and Agent Sutherland were there along with another man. He stood a little taller than Daisy and he had sandy brown hair with green eyes. He was broad shouldered and looked a bit like Tim would expect a jock to look. That's all he needed; another Tony!

"Agent Gibbs, Tim," Daisy greeted both men, "This is Special Agent Andrew Patterson; he's a member of my team."

"Please, call me Drew," the agent said as he shook both Tim's and Gibbs' hands.

"I need to speak to Director Vance. McGee, fill everyone in!"

-NCIS-

Gibbs returned to the bullpen to find everyone but Tim gathered round the plasma looking at the pictures of the eight identified children. Tim was sitting at his desk scrutinising his monitor as if it had personally offended him.

"McGee."

"Yes Boss," Tim replied without looking up from his monitor.

Gibbs was used to this and just carried on speaking to him, "Vance says use whatever resource in Cyber Crimes you need to."

That got Tim's full attention, "Thanks. I'll go and speak to Agent Cass," he got up from his desk but before he could leave he was stopped by Daisy.

"Tim, why don't you take Drew with you? He's our computer guy so he might be able to help as well."

"He is?" sputtered Tim, then blushed, "Er, yeah, sure. This way," he nodded his head and Drew joined him.

The elevator doors closed and Tim shifted uncomfortably. Drew decided to put him out of his misery, "Don't worry about it Agent McGee, I'm used to people jumping to conclusions about my skill set based on my appearance."

Tim blushed even more furiously; he understood all too well how that felt, "I'm sorry. I should know better. When I go out into the field people think I should be behind a desk."

"We all make mistakes Agent McGee," Drew smiled.

"It's Tim and for what it's worth I am genuinely sorry," he returned the smile.

The two men stepped out of the elevator and entered the Cyber Crimes area where Tim was greeted with enthusiasm, much to his embarrassment and Drew's amusement.

"Alright everyone, get back to work and leave Agent McGee in peace!" ordered Agent Cass, trying to hide the smile that was pulling at her lips, "Director Vance called and said you'd be coming down."

"Agent Cass, this is Agent Patterson from the FBI's Violent Crimes Against Children unit," Tim introduced the two agents.

"Drew."

"Mel. Now that introductions are out of the way… Tim what do you need?"

"We found child pornography on a missing Lieutenant's laptop. There were fifteen different children, I've managed to identify eight so far but that search alone is taking up the computer in Abby's lab. I'm running background checks on the parents of each of the identified children but that's using my computer and we'll have still more background checks as we get details of each of the cases."

"Do you need computers or people?"

Tim thought about it for a moment, too many people and someone might miss something important, a link between cases or someone each of the children knew, "Computers for now. I can set the necessary searches going and leave them to run. I might need to borrow some of your team later though."

"No problem, I'll help you and Drew set up some computers in our conference room," Mel told him as she led the two men to the room.

It wasn't a typical conference room. There was a long table with chairs around it but that is where the similarity to the other conference rooms in the building ended. There were four plasmas on the longest wall, which made the room look more like MTAC, as well as a dozen computers each with two screens spread out over three rows of desks; on the wall opposite the plasmas were a dozen whiteboards with pens.

Drew whistled, "Nice set up!"

"Tim and I put it together after his short stint as a Cyber Crimes Agent. The agents are quite often running multiple searches on their computers but sometimes, like now, the case gets so big that more computing power is needed. In the past we used MTAC but that can cause a clash if there's an operation going on that the Director needs to use it for."

Tim smiled at his colleague. She had come in to take over the running of Cyber Crimes just after the mole fiasco which had led to the team being split up. Tim had helped her settle in to her new role and the pair had become firm friends. Naturally Tony had teased Tim mercilessly about their friendship until Gibbs had smacked him upside the head and told the SFA that the woman was married, happily! "Thanks for letting us use this Mel."

"It's what we set it up for Tim."

The three moved into the room and powered up all the computers, Tim then logged in and set about retrieving the work from both Abby's and his computers. He was just finishing when his cell rang.

"Fornell and Sportelli are here. Conference room three," Gibbs' voice came over the phone before Tim could say anything and he hung up as soon as he said what he needed to.

Tim turned to Drew, "FBI, that is other FBI, and Metro are here. I'll be back soon Mel. Can we secure the room?"

"Of course," Mel followed them out and closed the door, engaging a secure electronic lock, "Give me a list of who you want to have access and I'll programme it to recognise their fingerprints."

"I'll send you an email," he waved his phone as he hurried towards the elevator not wanting to keep Gibbs waiting. On the way up to the conference room he quickly typed out an email listing all of the people he wanted to have access to the room; which included the rest of the MCRT, the two VCAC Agents; Fornell and the Director. He purposely didn't include Sportelli because he knew that with the amount of cases involved Metro would be happy to hand their single case over; he also didn't include Abby, there was no way he wanted her seeing those pictures if he could avoid it.

-NCIS-

An hour later and Sportelli had left after handing over the files and evidence, Tim had been right and he was more than happy to allow the FBI and NCIS to run with it. Fornell had stayed, along with Tony's nemesis, Agent Ron Sacks. Tim had sent Mel another email asking her to add him to the list of people that could enter the Cyber Crimes conference room.

Gibbs looked at the eight files that were sat in front of them and sighed, "OK, we need to start trying to find out if there's any links between these missing kids."

"Why don't we all take a file and make a list of anyone that the kids came into contact with then I can run searches on the names?" suggested Tim.

"It's a place to start," agreed Gibbs.

"We should probably move this down to the Cyber Crimes conference room Boss," Tim told the older man as he handed a file to each of the Agents around the conference table.

"You want us to go and work in the Cyber Crimes dungeon McGee?" Tony didn't whine, but it was close.

Tim rolled his eyes, "It's not a dungeon Tony and I've set up a kind of taskforce incident room down there."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything; he just got up and indicated to Tim he should lead the way. Scrambling to his feet Tim led them all to the elevator and then through to the room he'd set up. When he reached the door he pressed his thumb into the electronic pad and the door clicked for them to enter.

"Er, what's with that Probie?"

"Fingerprint entry, Tony."

It was Tony's turn to roll his eyes, "I can see that, what I want to know is, why?"

"There are some sensitive pictures here DiNozzo, the whole of NCIS doesn't need to see them!" replied Gibbs, nodding his approval.

"Agent Cass, head of Cyber Crimes," Tim stated for the benefit of the FBI agents that didn't know, "Has programmed the pad to recognise the fingerprints of everyone in this room as well as the Director."

"All right, you know your jobs, get on with it," ordered Gibbs.

"Boss, I need to go to Abby's lab so that I can unlock her office and allow her back in."

"Be quick," Gibbs replied. He watched Tim leave and then turned his attention back to the room before him. Vance had told him that McGee had worked with Cass to set up a room that could be used as an Incident Room; Command Centre; Task Force HQ, but he hadn't had the need to use it until now. It looked like they'd thought of everything that might be needed, right down to a cupboard with stationery in the corner and a coffee pot with mugs next to it and a fridge below it that was set against the far wall away from the computers. Tony was already setting the coffee pot up as the others pulled out chairs around the table and made themselves comfortable.

-NCIS-

Tim returned to the secure room ten minutes later. He didn't look happy but before Gibbs could say anything he grabbed the file he'd been assigned from the conference table and settled down with a pad and pen to make notes. A heavy silence descended on the group of eight agents, the only sound the scratching of a pen across paper and of mugs being picked up and put down as they drank the coffee Tony had made.

Gibbs had given Tim the first NCIS case, because he'd already started searches on it, so it didn't take long for him to complete his list and move to one of the computers in the front row and start other searches.

An hour later Tony completed reading his file, "Got a list of names Probie," he told his partner who glanced up from the computer and held out his hand for the paper Tony had ripped off his pad. He gave it a brief look but didn't recognise any of the names from his own search so moved to the computer to his right and started the searches on the names. Over the next hour each of the agents presented Tim with a list and he moved on to a new computer to start the searches for each case. He felt that initially the searches should be kept separate.

While Tim had been furiously typing away on the computer the other agents, as they had finished their own files, picked up the ones that had been read through already; looking for any other similarities. It was Daisy who came across something that she thought worth mentioning as she put down a third file.

"Tim," she called out, but got no response, "Hey, Tim!" she tried again.

"Let me," Tony said, grinning, "PROBIE!"

"Huh?" Tim replied eloquently.

"You have to be a bit more forceful, he gets in the zone and he doesn't hear anything going on around him," Tony informed Daisy with a wink.

"I know how that is," she glanced across at Drew who just smiled.

"What is it Tony?"

"Daisy was trying to get your attention McGoo!"

"Oh, sorry," he turned his attention to the FBI agent, "What's up?"

"I think I've found something," that made everyone in the room stop what they were doing to listen, "The three files I've read this morning all state that the child was taken from a park that backs on to a river."

"You want to know if I can search the other cases to see if they're the same."

"Yeah, can you do that?"

"Sure. I mean we've been working with the paper files because they're easier to scan for names than the electronic versions but I can run a search on the cases and see…" he typed as he talked. The others were wondering how they'd missed that piece of information in the cases they'd been working through, but then again their focus had been on names, not events, at least initially. Tim sat back as the computer pulled the relevant section of each report out; he put the results on the plasma and then continued typing while the others scanned the plasma.

"You were right," Gibbs nodded as he read each report of where the children had been taken from.

"What does that mean?" asked Drew.

"That the person who took these kids probably got away by boat and that's why nobody spotted them," Tony replied.

"It's possible that we're dealing with more than one person," Drew stated, receiving a raised eyebrow from Gibbs and a 'go on' hand motion from Daisy, "If I was taking a kid from a park by boat then I'd want the boat ready to go at a moment's notice; one person to grab the kid, one to drive the boat and maybe even one to loosen the boat from its moorings."

"Three people?" asked Sacks.

"It's a possibility we need to consider. I don't know much about boats, but let's make some assumptions and run through what would happen if it was just one person," Drew looked at the other agents who just waited, "I want to take a child from a park that backs onto a river. I bring my boat to a nearby jetty or other mooring and tie my boat to it, because I'm not going to want to wade into water with an unconscious child. We know from witness reports that no child was seen struggling or heard screaming, so I'm going with the assumption that the child was somehow drugged. I leave the boat, spot the kid and grab him or her. I take them back to the boat and lay them in it; I'm gentle with them because I don't want to damage them, at least not yet. I then have to untie the boat from the moorings and then return to the cabin, or whatever, and start the boat before I can get away. I'm taking a lot of risks. What if I fumble untying the boat? What if the boat doesn't start?"

"OK. It's risky, but not impossible," agreed Tony.

"If I had someone to help me though… I still leave the boat, spot the kid, grab them and return to the boat, however if I have an accomplice the boat is still running and as soon as I'm on board we can take off. If there's a third person waiting, they could take the kid from me while I untie the boat, or be waiting by the mooring ready to untie the boat once I'm aboard with the kid. The person untying the boat doesn't even necessarily need to be coming with me."

"So basically we could be dealing with one person or a team of people," growled Gibbs.

"I think it's something we need to consider," Daisy told him, "It could help…"

She was cut off by Tim cursing, "Shit!" This immediately grabbed the attention of the other MCRT members and Fornell. The man so rarely swore.

"McGee?" prompted Gibbs as he looked at his agent.

"Er," Tim blushed, something he seemed to be doing a lot just lately, "I did a search for other cases where children were taken from near rivers and came up with another six cases in Mississippi."

"Could any of them be linked to the children that you have not managed to identify yet?" asked Ziva.

"Possibly," he moved to the computer on the far left of the front row, "No, they're not, the last seven children have been identified and they're all FBI cases, from the New York area; along the Hudson River," he told them after a brief glance, "The Mississippi cases are also FBI."

"Give me the case details McGee," instructed Fornell, "I'll make some calls and get us the case files." He stepped away from the group.

"Why did nobody else realise that these cases could all be linked?"

"Yeah, I mean even if they didn't realise _all_ of them were linked surely they should have picked up on it locally. There were six in Mississippi; seven in New York and eight in Washington DC."

"It looks like each of the cases would have been dealt with by a different FBI team," Daisy told them as she looked at the few details provided in the search results, "Look it's not an excuse but approximately 800,000 children, younger than 18, are reported missing a year, more than 200,000 were abducted by family members and more than 58,000 were abducted by nonfamily members. There just isn't enough resource to go around. Law enforcement gets a lot of help from the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and other organisations but it's not enough, it will never be enough," she said sadly.

Further conversation was prevented when the door opened and Director Vance entered. Gibbs had called him at the same time as Fornell had moved away to arrange access to the remaining files.

"This is now officially a joint task force between NCIS and the FBI. Metro have offered assistance should we require it," the Director informed them.

"Sir, with all due respect, we should probably move this to an FBI building…" Fornell stated.

"And why would that be Agent Fornell?"

"We have access to facilities that NCIS doesn't, as well as more resource."

Vance looked around the room, "So the FBI has a room already set up and working this case?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well no Sir…"

"Then, as agreed with your Director, the task force will operate out of the Navy Yard. If further resources are needed they will be brought in. The evidence from these twenty one cases will be split between our lab and the FBI lab."

"Yes Sir," Fornell was relieved that at least the forensics work wouldn't all fall to Abby; because as good as she was there was just too much work there for one person.

"Good, now that's settled there's food in conference room three," Director Vance informed them. He knew that nobody would have thought about eating or taking a break, but it was part of his responsibility to make sure these agents didn't work themselves into the ground.

"Thanks Leon," Gibbs replied, grateful that the man had thought about something so basic, "Alright everyone let's take a break."

All but Tim stood and trailed out after the Director, Gibbs got as far as the door before realising his youngest agent hadn't moved, "I'll be up in a minute," he told Tony, who looked back into the room and simply nodded. Gibbs walked back over to Tim and gently slapped the back of his head to get his attention, knowing that he'd managed to zone out again.

"What?" Tim turned to look at his boss.

"Lunchtime, McGee! Conference room three."

"Oh, I'll be up in a bit Boss…"

"Now!"

"I'm not really hungry…"

"You need to take a break Tim," Gibbs put his hand under his agent's elbow to try to move him out of the seat.

"OK, but I just want to start another search running and then I'll head up."

"McGee…"

"I promise Boss."

"If you're not there in fifteen minutes I'm sending someone to drag you away from these damned computers," warned Gibbs.

Tim nodded in agreement and turned back to the computer before Gibbs had even walked away. The Team Leader shook his head in frustration before leaving McGee in peace, at least for now. Tim now had the computer cross checking names and places on all of the cases that he currently had access to. Once he got the electronic case files from the Mississippi and New York cases he'd add those in as well.

Naturally Tim found himself absorbed in his task and didn't notice the passing of time. It was the door opening and Tony's voice that pulled him back to the room.

"Probie, Gibbs is _not_ happy!" the older man strode over to where Tim was sitting, "Food, now!"

"Sorry I…"

"Got absorbed in what you were doing. I get that McGee but you need to take a break and eat, come on."

Tim turned to the computer, finished what he was doing and meekly followed Tony out of the room to the upstairs conference room.

Tim wasn't particularly hungry but he picked at a sandwich and let the conversation around him just wash over him. He was only partially listening, his mind working through other searches he could do to help locate where the person, or people, taking these children might be now. Once he'd finished his sandwich he got up to leave the room.

"Where you going McGee?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow; he hadn't said that the break was over yet.

"Just going to the head and then to get some air Boss."

Gibbs glared at his agent briefly before nodding his head and watching him leave the room.

-NCIS-

Tim did pay a visit to the bathroom but he didn't go out for air, he returned to the computers. When he sat down and checked his email he found the case files from the FBI that they had been waiting on and he lost no time setting those cases up to cross check with the others as well as starting searches on the people involved in the children's lives. There had to be something that tied these cases together other than where the children were taken from.

The others returned shortly after and though nothing was said to McGee about the fact he was back working he felt the weight of Gibbs' stare on his back.

Fornell and Gibbs had decided that the parents in each case needed to be re-interviewed. The FBI agent arranged for the New York and Mississippi cases to be done by two local FBI teams. The DC cases were divided out amongst six of the eight agents. Tony was paired with Ziva; Fornell with Sacks and Daisy with Gibbs. Drew and Tim were going to stay at the Navy Yard and work on the searches and reviewing all the case files.

Hours later the agents that had been out in the field returned to find both Tim and Drew still working away at the computers, neither man heard the returning agents enter.

"You did a good job finding all these cases that could be linked," Drew told the other man as they both continued to type.

"It's not hard to do when you know where to look and what you're looking for," Tim shrugged, not used to being praised for something that was an inherent part of his skill set.

"Oh come on," chided Drew, "Don't put yourself down! I'm willing to bet that it would have taken anyone else on your team a lot longer."

Tony bristled at the other man's words but Tim spoke up before he could say anything, "Possibly, but I have the education to back up my computer knowledge. The rest of the team have more experience with things relating to field work than I do," the NCIS agent shrugged again. None of the MCRT could deny that what McGee was saying was true; the computer work _did _go faster when McGee did it.

"Tim, I've watched you work. You've got some amazing computer skills but you've also got great instincts. The searches you're running aren't just standard for all law enforcement, especially not at this stage in an investigation."

"Yeah well he had a good teacher," Tim was about to reply but was interrupted by Tony. The older man preened just a little bit, causing McGee to roll his eyes at his partner's antics.

"Oh and I suppose you're going to take credit for the fact that he found the files and cracked the encryption?!"

"Just a minute FBI Geek," he stepped up behind the two men, "Our McGeek said that the Lieutenant had no computer skills!"

"Actually the Lieutenant's skill was in making it _look_ like he had no skills Tony," replied Tim.

"Oh come on, it can't have been that hard, it only took you a matter of hours," Tony scoffed, "Your FBI Geek buddy could probably have done it faster though, right?"

Daisy had been watching the exchange, completely unimpressed with the way Agent DiNozzo was belittling the skills of a fellow agent and disrespecting her own by calling him a geek, even if Drew would refer to himself as one on occasion, it didn't mean some NCIS agent they just met could! "Hey!" she barked, getting Tony's attention.

"What can I do for you, lovely Agent Sutherland?" Tony moved towards Daisy.

"You can quit disrespecting _my_ agent and the work of your own team mate!"

"Oh come on, it's just a bit of teasing!"

"I don't care; you'll show my agent the respect he deserves. Don't let me hear you speak to him like that again," Daisy turned to Drew, "Come on, we're going to pick up dinner." She threw a glare over her shoulder at Tony, her green eyes sparking with anger. Drew knew that the only way to calm his boss down was to get her away before Tony said something else so he ushered her out quickly.

"DiNozzo!"

"Yes Boss."

The Team Leader crooked his finger at his agent and Tony warily approached him, as soon as he was in striking distance Gibbs head slapped him, "Jealousy isn't a good look on you Tony!"

"What?!"

"Ziva, you and Tony go up to conference room three and make sure it's set up so that we can eat when Agents Sutherland and Patterson get back."

"Yes Gibbs," Ziva smirked at the stunned look on Tony's face as she grabbed his arm.

Tony's voice was heard just before the door closed, "What does the Boss mean jealousy? I'm not jealous!"

The door shut before Ziva's response could be heard by those in the room, but Tony heard, "You are jealous of the busting friendship between McGee and Agent Patterson."

"It's budding, Ziva, budding! And _no_ I'm not!"

"Yes Tony, you are. Agent Patterson was complimenting McGee on his work and you did not like it," she responded before walking off towards the elevator.

"He's _my_ Probie," Tony mumbled under his breath. Luckily for him nobody else heard the rather petulant comment and he quickly caught up with Ziva.

When Daisy and Drew returned everyone trooped off to the upstairs conference room. This time Gibbs didn't leave until McGee followed. Food was eaten and then the group sat round talking about what had been discovered during their interviews that day. Sadly they had found nothing new; as yet nothing had been discovered in the computer search either.

It was coming up to midnight when Fornell approached Gibbs, "We should call it a night Jethro."

"We need to find these kids Tobias."

"You're right, we do, but exhausting the agents you're using to do that isn't going to do anyone any good. DiNutszo is about to face plant on the desk, David is likely to stab herself and don't even get me started on McGee!"

Gibbs looked around the room and saw that Fornell was right. The agents needed rest. He got up from his seat and walked over to Tony, nudging his shoulder before his forehead came in contact with the desk in front of him.

"Huh?!" Tony sat up, eyes blinking owlishly.

"Go home," Gibbs ordered as he leaned across and snatched the knife from Ziva's hands. She had been playing with it as she watched the data on the computer she was in front of scroll as it searched, "Both of you, go, now."

"But…"

"We're likely to miss something we're so tired, go on, get out of here."

"What about McGee?"

Gibbs glanced over to where his youngest agent was still intently looking at the screen, though over the last few hours his face had got closer and closer to it, "I've got him; I'll see you at 07:00."

"Yes Boss," Tony pushed wearily to his feet and waited for Ziva.

"Yes Gibbs," Ziva rose with more grace but still looked tired as she followed Tony from the room.

"Daisy, Drew, go home," he told the pair as he walked behind them to get to McGee. Both FBI agents looked surprised but glanced at Fornell who was encouraging Sacks to pack in for the night. The other man nodded and the two started to gather their things.

"McGee," Gibbs stood to the side and watched as his agent continued working. He was blinking repeatedly in an effort to stay awake. When it became clear that the other man was either ignoring him or just hadn't heard him Gibbs put his hand on McGee's shoulder and shook it gently, "Hey!"

"Boss?" McGee turned bloodshot green eyes up to look at Gibbs standing next to him.

"Wrap it up, time to go home. Come on, I'll give you a ride."

"I just want to finish this Boss."

"You can finish it in the morning McGee."

"But…"

"Shut it down or I'll pull the plug!" Gibbs didn't know that much about technology but he knew how to get the damn computer to shut off. He also knew that to pull the plug would lose his agent's entire work. He wouldn't do that to him, but he hoped that McGee didn't realise that because it looked like the threat was the only way to get the man to go home.

"Boss…"

"_Now_ McGee!" he purposely started to edge around the desk to get to the plugs.

"OK, OK! Just let me save this," he hurriedly typed something before leaning back in his chair and rubbing his hands over his face.

"Get your stuff," ordered Gibbs and he watched as Tim reluctantly obeyed. Tobias, Ron, Daisy and Drew had already left by the time the two men were ready. They walked out to the parking lot together and when they reached it Tim started to break off to go towards his own car, "Where do you think you're going?"

"Er, to my car," Tim looked at his boss a little confused since the man had ordered him home.

"You're in no fit state to drive," he told him, pointing to his own car, "Get in."

Tim looked around and not seeing either Tony or Ziva's cars he responded, "If the others were OK to drive, so am I!"

"They didn't get here at four in the morning. Get. In!"

Tim's shoulders slumped, there was no way he was going to win this argument and it wasn't really worth it given the time and how tired he was. He didn't stomp over to the car but it was close.

Thirty minutes later Gibbs pulled up outside Tim's apartment building and turned to look at his agent, shaking his head at the sight of him with his head resting against the car window, mouth slightly open as he snored gently. A smile pulled at the edges of his mouth as he gently shook him awake, "McGee, we're here."

"Huh?" Tim opened his eyes and looked at his boss, horrified that he'd fallen asleep in his car, "Uh, sorry Boss, must have been more tired than I thought."

"You think?!" Gibbs gave him an amused look.

"Right, er thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night McGee," the passenger door shut and he watched Tim walk into the building before driving off. Gibbs hadn't offered to get him in the morning because he knew Tim would call Ziva for a ride since she lived nearby. He would have asked her to bring him home, but he didn't think Tim would be able to cope with her wild driving as tired as he was.

Tim entered his apartment, dumped his things by the door and greeted his dog. Jethro was always pleased to see him and it was nice to have someone to come home to, even if it was a dog as opposed to a person. He quickly clipped on his leash and took him for a short walk before returning home, stripping off his work clothes and collapsing into bed.

-NCIS-

Tim startled awake, his heart beating hard in his chest and his breathing ragged. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat with his elbows resting on his knees as he tried to get his breathing and heart rate back under control. A wet nose and a soft whine got his attention.

"Oh sorry boy, did I wake you," he ran his hands over the soft fur of the German shepherd, soothing both the dog and himself, "It's this case. I keep dreaming about those kids. I see their faces and hear them begging me to help them," he ran shaking hands over his face. He glanced at the clock and groaned; it wasn't even 03:00. He'd managed a little over two hours sleep and he knew there would be no more. Pushing to his feet he once again donned his running gear and clipped the leash to Jethro's collar.

They got back to the apartment and Tim fed his dog before taking a shower. It was only while he was in the shower that he realised that he had no car to get into work. He wondered if Gibbs had done that on purpose. Well he wasn't Tony and he wasn't afraid to take public transport. Decision made he went through his morning routine. A quick check on his phone showed that a bus would leave the local bus station at 03:45; if he hurried he could make it. It would get him to the Navy Yard just after 05:00.

Tim managed to doze on the bus, not something he would normally do, but the bus was empty and the driver was friendly and had told him he'd wake him up when they got to the stop for his connection. True to his word the driver woke him and Tim caught the next bus without issue. He got off the second bus just a few minutes' walk from the Navy Yard but he made a point of stopping at a coffee shop long enough to have a coffee and eat breakfast, before walking in the back pedestrian gate. Although he still had to go through security it was less likely that Gibbs would find out what time he'd arrived unless he went out of his way to find out.

Once in the building he headed immediately for the Cyber Crimes floor and the conference room they'd been using. He felt like he was missing something but he just couldn't put his finger on what it was, he was hoping that one of the searches he set up the previous night would have come up with something.

Tim settled down in front of the computer he had been using the previous day and started to go through the searches to see if any had come up with results; when he opened the final one he stared at the information. He didn't know what it could mean but it was definitely a pattern.

"Morning McGee," Ziva said as she entered the room, making him jump slightly.

"Oh, morning Ziva," he didn't turn to look at her but continued to stare at the information before him.

"Have you been here long?"

Tim glanced at his watch, "No, not long." It wasn't a lie; he'd only been in just over an hour.

The door opened again before Ziva could ask any more questions and the rest of the agents slowly filtered in. Tony was, predictably, the last but even he was still earlier than usual.

"Why don't we get some coffee and talk through what we're going to do today and then we can go through any information that the computers came up with overnight?" suggested Daisy.

"OK," Gibbs grabbed a mug and poured some coffee before taking a seat at the conference table at the back of the room. The others followed suit, except McGee, who was fiddling with something on the computer.

McGee stood up and turned to look at the other agents, playing with the plasma remote in his hand. The look on his face told Gibbs that he'd found something but wasn't sure of its importance.

"What's up Probie?" Tony got up and walked over to his team mate.

"I think I found something."

"You _think_?" Gibbs joined the two men, pinning McGee with his piercing blue eyes.

"Well… no… I _know_ I found something. I just don't know if it means anything."

"Show us Tim, let us help you figure it out," Drew stood up and he, along with Daisy, Tobias and Ron, joined them in front of the plasmas.

"We've got nothing else to go on, kid," Tobias pointed out.

There was no more hesitation, Tim turned and pressed a button on the plasma remote and the one on the far left came to life; on it there was a series of dates.

"I set the computer to do a search looking for patterns in the data across all twenty one cases, it came up with this," he pointed at the screen.

"Data mining?" asked Drew.

"Yeah, kind of."

"OK, what is _it_?" asked Ron.

"Dates," supplied Tim, "The dates on the left are the children's birthdays, the dates on the right are the dates of their abduction," he knew better than to drag it out, Gibbs liked them to get to the point and he was already walking a fine line, "The difference between each of the children's birthdays and the abduction dates is exactly five days."

"In every case?" Tobias wanted to know.

"All twenty one."

"What the hell does that mean?" Tony scrubbed a hand through his hair.

"It's a pattern," Daisy started to say only to be interrupted.

"Yeah, we've already established that!" growled Gibbs.

Daisy continued as if she'd never been interrupted, "The person or people abducting these children take them exactly five days after their birthdays. What do most children of these ages have on their birthdays?"

"Presents!" said Tony.

"No Tony, parties."

"That's right Tim and what do a lot of parents do for parties?"

"Hire people," Tobias provided, "Clowns, magicians, caterers, venues…"

"We need to speak to all these parents again and find out if their children had parties and get a list of all the people that attended. Tobias, speak to the teams in New York and Mississippi. We'll divide up the eight families between us again and go back, take two each. McGee you and Drew take the Shanahans and the Wrights, they're closest to the Navy Yard. When you're done get back here and start putting the searches together," ordered Gibbs, "The rest of us can call in as we finish."

"Yes Boss," McGee grabbed his coat and followed the other seven agents out of the room.

-NCIS-

Three hours later Drew and Tim were back at the Navy Yard. Both the families they had spoken to had their children's parties at home but had used entertainers and caterers but hadn't used the same companies.

"We need a list of employees from all four of these companies."

"Yeah, but we might need search warrants," agreed Tim, "Let's try calling the companies and if we don't get anywhere I'll speak to Director Vance."

Both men picked up a phone and started to make calls. It didn't take long and at the end of the conversations three of the four companies had agreed to email a list of their employees at the time of the parties.

McGee decided not to go to the Director about a search warrant until they had spoken to all the companies, because there seemed little point in having to go to the man repeatedly if any other company refused.

The three other teams had had further to travel so it was nearing the end of the day when the last report came in from Gibbs and Daisy. Drew and Tim made the final calls for the necessary information and then Tim disappeared up to the Director's office to get a start on the search warrants for the four companies that had refused to provide their list of employees. New York and Mississippi would take care of their own search warrants if they became necessary.

Gibbs returned and stood in the door way of the room. Everyone was either sitting in front of a computer or at the conference table going through information. Glancing at McGee he was willing to bet a month's pay that the man had barely moved and had probably not eaten. Glancing across at Drew Patterson he could see the same posture so he was obviously going to be no help in making sure that McGee took breaks because he was just as bad!

"Dinner in conference room three," barked Gibbs. It did the task force agents good to get out of the room, even if it was only to another conference room.

Fornell, Sacks, Tony and Ziva didn't need telling twice. Grumbling stomachs needed to be fed and they weren't about to turn down a meal. Drew and Tim however needed a little persuasion but were soon also moving.

Everyone settled around the conference table after grabbing a couple of slices of pizza and a can of soda. They tried to stay off the topic of the case while they ate.

"Hey, McGee, you gonna have anything more to eat, man?" asked Tony as he got up to get another slice of pizza.

"No, I'm good thanks Tony."

"You only had one slice," pointed out Ziva.

"And that was enough," responded Tim, shooting her a look that said he didn't want to discuss it further.

"You're gonna waste away McSkinny."

"Tony." The tone that was used to say his name should have been enough of a warning, but sadly it wasn't.

"I bet you didn't eat anything once you got back here today either and no, McGoo, Nutter Butters don't count!"

"My eating habits are of no concern of yours Tony!" Tim snapped, pushing his chair back and leaving the room.

"What'd I say?" Tony held his hands palm up in a shrug.

"You just never learn when to shut up, do you DiNozzo," sighed Gibbs as he pushed his chair back to follow his agent out.

"I'll go and speak to him," Drew said, getting up. Gibbs looked thoughtful and then nodded.

-NCIS-

Drew found Tim back in the Cyber Crimes conference room in front of one of the computers. "You OK?" he pulled the chair from the desk next to Tim's and sat down.

"Yeah," McGee answered, but he was still facing his monitor.

"Tim you can talk to me. It won't go any further."

He glanced at Drew before speaking, "I'm alright. I just don't feel much like eating."

"I can understand that. I recommend trying soup. It's light but at least you're getting something. Are you managing to get any sleep?"

"A few hours," Tim shrugged, "I keep seeing their faces."

"Have you talked to anyone else about this?"

"No. I… They…" he ran a hand through his hair, "They don't get me, you know."

"Oh yeah, I know."

"Really? Daisy seems like a good boss, not that Gibbs is a bad one… We just don't have much in common. You've met him; would _you_ feel comfortable talking to him?"

"Yes really. Daisy is a good boss and she's easy to talk to, other members of my team took a bit of time to get used to me. There's nothing wrong with being good at computers Tim. As for Gibbs, he seems kinda intense. Maybe _I_ wouldn't feel comfortable talking to him, but how many years have you been with him? _You _should."

"Intense is a good word. Cases about kids make him hard, well harder, to approach. I can't explain, it's not my story to tell."

"Fair enough, but there has to be someone you can go to. Don't get me wrong, you can talk to me, but I've only known you a couple of days, they've known you for years."

"Right now I just want to get this case solved. I'll talk to Ducky when we're done."

"Ducky?"

"Oh, you haven't met him yet. Hopefully you won't have to because he's our ME, Doctor Mallard."

"You can't keep pushing how you're feeling aside Tim, it's not healthy."

"I won't. Once the case is done I'll speak to Ducky."

"Tim…"

"After the case is solved," Tim looked at Drew with a hint of steel in his eyes and a set to his shoulders that told the other agent that this was an argument he wasn't going to win.

"Fine, but if you need to talk in the meantime you know where I am… and make sure you eat, even if it's soup."

Tim nodded and then turned his attention back to his monitor.

Ten minutes later the rest of the task force returned to the room and they gathered around the conference table.

"Where are you at with checking the lists of employees from the catering and entertainment companies?" asked Gibbs of Drew and Tim.

"We have around three hundred and fifty names from twelve companies so far. Drew and I have started background checks. I cross checked all the names and it doesn't appear that any individual has worked at more than one of the companies."

"So far?" Tony asked.

"There were four companies that refused to provide us with a list of employees. I spoke…"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me McGee? I could have spoken to the Director about getting warrants as soon as I got back! You just caused an unnecessary delay!" growled Gibbs.

Tension filled the room immediately. The only sound was the noise of the fans in each of the dozen computers in the room.

Tim glanced at Drew, an almost imperceptible shake of his head stopping the other agent from saying anything, "I didn't say anything because I've already spoken to the Director. The warrants have been issued and we should have the lists by morning. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to get back to work."

The other agents shifted uncomfortably. Gibbs stood up, "No."

"What?" Tim turned to look at his boss, wondering if he was about to get his ass handed to him.

"It's late, everyone go home," Gibbs ordered and then left the room.

"Well you heard the man," Tony said as he grabbed his gear, the others shaking off their momentary surprise and following suit.

"I'll catch up with you," Drew told Daisy, who just smiled knowingly and left, "You OK Tim?"

"Fine."

"Gibbs should have given you a chance to explain."

"No, I should have told him that I'd had to ask the Director for search warrants when he got back. It was my fault."

"Tim…"

"It's fine Drew."

"I still think he should have handled that better!"

"He's just trying to get the case solved."

"And you're not?!" Drew asked, incredulously.

"Look, it's fine. Go home, I'll see you tomorrow."

"You should go home too Tim."

"I will, I just want to finish entering the search details for this last batch, it won't take me long."

"Don't stay all night," cautioned Drew as he left, "'Night Tim."

"'Night Drew."

Tim waited for the other man to leave and went to start a fresh pot of coffee; as soon as he had filled a mug he returned to his computer and entered the necessary information for the current search. Once his computer was running near capacity he moved on to the next and then the next, until all of the computers were carrying out searches. Every time a computer indicated it had finished a search he started a new one. Finally at 05:00 the several coffees he'd had could no longer hold back the need to sleep and he rested his arms on the desk in front of him, lowered his head and fell asleep.

-NCIS-

Gibbs pulled into the NCIS parking lot at 06:00 and noticed that McGee's car was there already. He made a mental note to check what time his agent had got in that morning as he got out and headed into the building. Entering the Cyber Crimes conference room he got his answer, McGee had never left. He was slumped over at one of the desks wearing the same clothes as the previous day. The team leader mentally kicked himself for not making sure that he actually left.

"McGee," he placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder and gave a gentle shake but got no response. It took several tries before a pair of green and bloodshot eyes opened.

"Boss?" vision blurry and eyes burning Tim could just make out the shape of the man standing next to him.

"I could have sworn I ordered everyone home last night."

Tim rubbed his sore eyes and shrugged, "I had some stuff to finish off."

"I want you to go to Abby's office, pull out her futon and get some proper sleep."

"I'm fine; I'll just go take a shower…"

"What part of that sounded like a suggestion McGee? I want you to get some sleep, shower and change. I don't want to see you for at least four hours, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Boss," McGee stood on legs that felt a little wobbly but he managed to face Gibbs, "I've kept a note of all the searches that have been completed," he waved a hand towards his computer, "So you guys will know who still needs a background check."

"Go on McGee, get some sleep, we'll figure it out," Gibbs replied. McGee nodded and then made his unsteady way out of the room. Gibbs quickly put a call in to Abby to make sure she wouldn't disturb McGee when she got in.

The others arrived and Gibbs asked Drew to check on McGee's progress, "Where's Tim?" asked the FBI agent as he sat down at Tim's computer.

"He was here all night so I sent him to get some sleep," replied Gibbs.

"I told him not to stay all night!"

"One thing you have to learn about McGeek," Tony chimed in, "Once he gets his mind set on doing something it's nearly impossible to change it."

"Well _Tim_," Drew emphasised the name, "Has somehow managed to complete almost a hundred searches."

"How the hell did he manage that?" asked Tobias.

Drew got up and went to the computer he'd been using before checking all the others, "He set up searches on every single computer. I think every time one search completed he set up the next one."

"Have we received the employee lists from the other companies?" Daisy asked.

Drew quickly checked Tim's email which he had left opened, "Yeah, another hundred names by the looks of it. I'll add them to Tim's list." He looked over the list once more and noticed something else that the NCIS agent had done, "He's highlighted some searches that needed closer investigation. Financial anomalies, strange call patterns…"

"Alright, Drew you carry on with the searches and the rest of us will go through any ones he's highlighted," Gibbs ordered.

-NCIS-

Three days later and they had been investigating the case for a week. Tim had gone back to his apartment but only long enough to grab a bag with several changes of clothes and to take Jethro to a kennel for the duration. He knew that the case was going to take a lot of his attention and he didn't want his dog to be shut up in the apartment while he worked so many hours. The kennels belonged to friends so they had no problem accommodating the German shepherd at short notice and Jethro knew them well and was quite content to take a doggy vacation with them.

The last three nights he had continued to work through, stopping only a few hours before the start of the day to go and get some sleep on Abby's futon in her lab. He always made sure he was up, showered and in a fresh set of clothes before everyone else got in. As yet nobody had figured out what he was doing.

The team of agents had been running background checks on nearly five hundred names in total and it was taking a long time to check out all the small inconsistencies. They had so far discovered around twenty cheating spouses; two separate cases of embezzlement; several cases of funds going undeclared from second jobs and, in Tony's opinion the funniest find to date, one of the staff working for one of the catering companies was also a madam, using the contacts she made at the parties to increase her clientele.

Everyone was tired; their day started at 07:00 and was finishing around 23:00, with the exception of McGee who was working until around 03:00. The lack of progress was getting to everyone. All of the agents were getting fed up with being sent out on pointless exercises to verify information so they could rule people out. Tempers were beginning to fray.

"I'm not doing it," Tony stood with his arms folded across his chest, glaring at McGee.

"Tony…"

"If you want to confirm that the reason he's calling that particular private number ten times a week for a total of fourteen hours is because he's having an affair, then _you_ go ask him!"

"I'd love to," McGee made to get up and then smacked his hand to his forehead and sat back down, "Oh that's right, I _can't_! Why is that, Tony? That's right _our Boss_ ordered me to stay here and do the computer work!"

"Well I'm fed up of running down these stupid leads! They're not even leads!" Tony threw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"They have to be checked, you _know_ that! If we assume that something is what it looks like, in this case someone having an affair, without verifying it then we could miss something. I don't know about you Tony, but I don't want to miss something that could find these kids!"

"It's alright for you sitting here doing your 'Geek' stuff. We're out there doing all the hard work!"

Tim felt anger course through him, "Is that right? I tell you what Tony, why don't you sit behind a computer for twenty hours a day and then tell me how easy it is!"

"Well it's certainly easier than going and speaking to these people and finding out it's another dead end. It's a waste of our time!"

"Oh, let me just call Gibbs and tell him that Special Agent DiNozzo can't be _bothered_ to do his job. It's too much trouble to go and speak to a man about some phone calls. In fact I'll call the parents of these missing kids and tell them we're giving up shall I? Sorry Petty Officer and Mrs Shanahan, we won't be looking for who took your daughter anymore because it's too much of a bother…!" Tim's angry tirade was cut off when Tony pulled him to his feet by grabbing a handful of his shirt.

"How dare you?!" he hissed.

"Tony!" Ziva had entered the room just as the SFA had grabbed McGee. All the other agents were out checking alibis and questioning the catering and entertainment company employees whose backgrounds had flagged something.

Tony let go of McGee's shirt but gave him a hard shove, causing Tim to stumble backwards, his legs connected with the chair and he fell, catching his head on the desk. There was a moment of stunned silence before Tony turned and stormed from the room.

Ziva ran over to Tim who was trying to untangle himself from the chair, "McGee, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Ziva."

"What was that about?" she asked him as she moved the chair out of the way.

Tim pushed himself upright so that he was sitting with his back against one of the legs of the desk; he raised his hand to his temple, wincing at the lump that was forming. A moment later he was wincing because his fingers had come away bloody.

"What's going on?" demanded Gibbs as he walked in to find two of his agents sitting on the floor.

"Nothing," replied McGee before Ziva could answer.

"That cut on your head says different McGee. Go and see Ducky," he ordered.

"Yes Boss," he got to his feet with Ziva's assistance, she didn't remove her hand until it was clear he was stable on his feet after a momentary bout of dizziness.

"When you're done getting checked over we _will_ be talking about this," warned Gibbs as the younger man left the room. He turned to Ziva, "Well?"

"I did not see what happened." Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "That is, I did not see it all."

"Then tell me what you _did_ see Agent David!"

"Very well," she proceeded to tell him what she had witnessed.

"What the hell are they playing at?"

"Everyone is tired Gibbs. Tempers are flayed, yes?"

"Frayed Ziva, frayed."

"Yes that as well."

Gibbs sighed and left the room, deciding a trip to autopsy was in order. Tony and McGee had a sometimes difficult relationship, with Tony pushing his teasing right up to, and sometimes over, the line but they had never become physical with one another.

-NCIS-

Tim entered autopsy to find Ducky working on paperwork for an autopsy he had done earlier that morning for a case Agent Balboa's team were working on.

At the sound of the autopsy doors Ducky looked up, "Timothy, what brings you…?" he trailed off as he noticed the cut to McGee's left temple and got up for a closer look, "Oh my, what happened lad?"

"I had an argument with a chair and a desk Ducky. Would you mind taking a look?"

"Of course not, hop up on one of the tables and I'll get my bag," Ducky turned back to his office.

Tim looked over at the tables the ME used for autopsies. Sitting on them didn't really appeal but he knew that Ducky and Palmer kept them clean enough to eat off, if you were so inclined, with a heavy sigh he lifted himself up onto the one nearest the doors.

The autopsy doors opened again and Jimmy Palmer entered, "Hey McGee."

"Hi Jimmy."

"Ah Mr Palmer, you're just in time to help me treat young Timothy's injury."

"Injury?" Jimmy took another look at the agent and winced, "Ouch!" he could see a bruise already forming around the cut, down onto McGee's cheekbone and also into the corner of his eye.

"Would you be kind enough to clean the cut for me please?"

"Of course Doctor Mallard," Jimmy went to the cupboard in the corner of the room and pulled out the first aid kit. He sat it on the table next to McGee and pulled out some sterile wipes, "This is going to sting."

"I know," replied Tim, "It's OK Jimmy."

"So Timothy, what happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" growled Gibbs as he entered.

"Er, should I…" Jimmy indicated the door.

"When you have finished cleaning the cut then you may take a break Mr Palmer." Jimmy thoroughly, but quickly, cleaned the cut and then made a dash for the exit, "Really Jethro, I do wish you would try to moderate your tone around Mr Palmer." Gibbs just looked at Ducky with a raised eyebrow, "Yes, well, I can dream I suppose." Ducky turned his attention back to his patient, "It doesn't need stitches Timothy; I'll just put some strips on to hold it together and a light dressing. I need to take your vitals and check for a concussion."

"I'm fine Ducky, it was just a bump."

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that, hmm?" Ducky didn't wait for a reply before getting Tim to roll his shirtsleeve up so that he could take his blood pressure, "No interrogating him just yet Jethro, I need a true reading of his blood pressure!" Gibbs just stood to the side, crossed his arms and waited. Less than five minutes later Ducky looked less than happy, "Timothy have you been eating and sleeping?"

Tim fidgeted slightly, "Not as much as normal maybe, but enough, yes," he hedged, not outright lying to the ME.

"Well you don't have a concussion but your blood pressure is high and your pulse is faster than I would like," Ducky frowned at the younger man.

"The case we're working on is a tough one Ducky, I'm just a little more stressed than normal," he supplied, hoping that it would be sufficient.

"That why you and DiNozzo got into it?"

"We didn't…"

"You might wanna bear in mind that I spoke to Ziva before you lie to me McGee, she saw Tony push you."

"What? Anthony did this?" asked Ducky, astounded.

"It was my fault Boss," Tim hung his head.

"What. Happened?" Gibbs was getting impatient.

"I pretty much accused him of not being bothered. I wouldn't even have been hurt but I stumbled slightly and fell over the chair."

"Did he, or did he not, push you?"

"It wasn't like that…"

"McGee!"

Tim sighed; he really didn't want to get Tony into trouble, "Only after I said something I shouldn't. He had a right to be angry Boss."

"That doesn't give him the right to lay hands on you McGee." Gibbs had a feeling he wasn't getting the whole story but knew that his youngest agent wasn't going to say anything else, "He OK to work Duck?"

"Yes, he should be fine. Take Tylenol if you have a headache Timothy and here's a cold pack, it will help with the swelling and bruising. If you start to feel dizzy or nauseous I want you to come back and see me."

Tim took the cold pack and snapped it to activate it, placing it gingerly against his temple, wincing at both the discomfort from the bruising and the cold, "Thanks Ducky. Can I go now Boss?"

"Go on," he nodded towards the door.

"Boss?"

"Yeah McGee?"

"Tony didn't mean it, I don't want you to do anything about this," he indicated his head, "It was my fault."

"Go back to work Tim," Gibbs told him, his tone softer than usual.

When Tim was out of earshot Ducky turned to Gibbs, "Keep an eye on him Jethro," a raised, questioning eyebrow had the ME expanding on his words, "His pulse and blood pressure are indications that there's something else going on with that lad. Make sure he eats and takes breaks."

"Not his father Duck," Gibbs rolled his eyes.

"No, but you are his Team Leader. It is clear that this case is affecting everyone, but do try to remember, Jethro, that Timothy is the one that sat looking through hundreds of child pornography pictures."

"OK, I'll try to keep a closer eye on him."

"That's all I ask Jethro. Are you going to talk to Anthony?"

"Oh, you bet I am. McGee isn't telling me everything. I'm willing to bet that DiNozzo pressed McGee's buttons too."

"No doubt. See you later Jethro," Ducky called as the other man left autopsy. The ME shook his head and returned to his paperwork, vowing to check on Tim later.

-NCIS-

Gibbs found Tony up in the bullpen, "Got something you need to tell me DiNozzo?"

Tony didn't even look up, "No Boss."

"McGee might disagree."

"Did McGeek go running to you complaining?" growled Tony.

"You know him better than that DiNozzo! You gonna tell me what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah well the cut and bruise on McGee's temple says otherwise."

"Is he alright?"

"Was wondering when you were gonna ask that. Yeah, he's fine, didn't even need stitches. Ducky patched him up and he's back at his desk down in Cyber Crimes."

"It was my fault Boss."

"You two are more alike than you think," Gibbs rolled his eyes, "He said the exact same thing."

"I kind of implied that he had the easy job, sitting behind a desk."

"Kind of?"

"OK, I outright said he had it easy. We both said some things that we shouldn't have but I should never have grabbed him then shoved him."

"You think?! You're lucky he wasn't hurt worse!"

"I know, what's going to happen?"

"Happen?"

"I know what I did was wrong and I accept the consequences of my actions."

"Tony, we're all tired, running on fumes. The two of you just let it get out of hand. McGee said that he wouldn't even have been hurt if he hadn't stumbled into the chair. He also specifically told me that he didn't want me to do anything."

"Really?"

"Yes, really! Ducky is worried about him though."

"I thought you said he's fine."

"He is, but Ducky is worried that he's not eating properly and taking breaks. I promised to keep an eye on him, but I'm not always here…"

"I'll keep an eye on him Boss. Ziva will too if I ask her. Between the three of us we should be able to make sure he takes breaks and eats, right?"

"Yeah Tony," Gibbs nodded, proud that despite their differences his team still looked out for one another when it counted, "Come on, back to Cyber Crimes."

"I'll meet you down there; I need to detour to the break room."

"Make it quick!"

"Yes Boss!"

-NCIS-

Tony entered the conference room and headed straight for McGee. He pulled the chair at the desk next to his out and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees as the younger man turned to look at him. He winced at the forming bruise and sighed, "Sorry Probie."

"Me too Tony."

"I should never have shoved you."

"You wouldn't have…"

"No, it doesn't matter what you said, I should have walked away rather than push you."

"We're all frustrated."

"Yeah we are," Tony nodded, sitting up and pushing one hand through his hair, "We'll find these people."

"Yeah, we will," Tim agreed.

"Peace offering," stated Tony as he pulled a packet of Nutter Butters out of his pocket.

"You didn't have to, but thanks," he smiled tiredly at the SFA, opened the packet and took one of the biscuits out, offering Tony the other one.

"Thanks, but you have it, I got myself a candy bar," he grinned.

Tim snorted and then turned his attention back to his screen, absently putting the cold pack back on his temple as he did, "Huh, another one."

Tony had been getting up to walk away but sat back down, "Another what?"

"This is the sixth background check that's come up with nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yeah. No credit history, no previous addresses. It's like these people have just popped up out of nowhere."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I'm just going through the automated searches manually checking any that the computer has flagged. In the last three days it's flagged around thirty searches. It takes hours to manually check them all and most of them have been those that have resulted in you all going and interviewing the people to find out why there's an anomaly, but the last six consecutive searches have come back the same."

"Even I know that's wrong."

"Yeah. I'm going to call the teams in New York and Mississippi to see if they've had any of the same issues."

"Let me know if I can do anything."

"Thanks Tony."

-NCIS-

"No, don't transfer me again!" Tim held the phone away from his ear and glared at it. If looks could have killed the phone it would have been a smoking pile of plastic.

"Problem McGee?" asked Fornell from his spot at the conference table where he, Gibbs and Daisy were discussing their next steps as the rest of the agents were digging through more background checks.

Tim held up a finger, "Hello… Yes, this is Special Agent McGee from NCIS… Naval Criminal Investigative Service," he rolled his eyes, how could other federal agencies not know who they were, "I need to speak to the person responsible for the computer background checks on the Mississippi child abduction case that is being worked with NCIS. NO! I swear if you don't put me through to the right person _right now_ I will hack into your computer systems and get the damn information myself!"

"Maybe he should have done that in the first place," Fornell whispered to Gibbs, "Would certainly have been quicker!"

Gibbs grunted. The information McGee was looking for had been easily obtained from the New York team, but it seemed that the Mississippi team were out and nobody could reach them; this had led to a thirty minute phone call where McGee was being given the run around and it looked like his patience had run out.

"Listen lady, I _know_ that hacking is a federal offence, I'M A FEDERAL AGENT but given the fact that nobody in your office can locate the person I need to speak to…" McGee took a deep breath, "No, you can't take a message and get someone to call me back!" Tim dropped his head into the hand not holding the phone, "What part of urgent don't you understand?!... Put me through to your Director. NOW!"

"McGee do you want me to make a call?" Fornell offered, he'd already made the offer once. He received a shake of the head from the younger man.

"Director Charles? I'm sorry to bother you… Yes, that's right, NCIS. Yes, I did threaten to hack into your network. Of course I know how to do that. Yes Sir, I know I could get into a lot of trouble, but nobody in your office has been able to help me get the information I need…"

"Boss, something tells me this conversation isn't going to have helped Probie's blood pressure," Tony said.

"Thank you Sir. No, I won't hack your network. Yes Sir, I'll keep that in mind. Goodbye." Tim put the phone down and rubbed his forehead, the headache that had been merely an almost gentle throb was now a hammer in his skull.

"Here McGee," Ziva handed him a bottle of water and some Tylenol.

"Well McGee?" asked Gibbs at the same time.

"Thanks Ziva," Tim took the offering and swallowed the pills gratefully; "Director Charles is going to have the head of the cyber unit call me back within five minutes. If he doesn't call then I'm to let the Director know."

"Did you get a lecture about threatening to hack the FBI?" Sacks asked curiously.

"Er, actually, no," McGee blushed, "I got a job offer!"

"What?!" Tony spluttered.

McGee shrugged, "It's not the first time another agency has offered me a job Tony."

Gibbs glared at Fornell who simply grinned. The FBI Team Leader had told McGee several times that if he ever got fed up with DiNozzo's teasing there was a place at the FBI for him. McGee had always blushed and said thanks but no thanks. Still it always gave Fornell a brief moment of glee to make the offer behind Gibbs' back.

Tim's phone rang and five minutes later he had an email with the information he was looking for, "I was right," he mumbled as he looked over the information he had from New York, Mississippi and his own searches.

"McGee! Care to share?"

"Oh, right, sorry Boss," Tim turned to face the other agents, "Each of the catering companies has an employee whose background is incomplete. That's to say, they don't exist."

"All twenty one?"

"Yes Boss."

"There's our kidnapper then."

"More than likely."

"At last, a lead!" stated Tony.

"Yeah but we still don't know who this person is. It may not even be the same person," pointed out Tim.

"It's a start at least McPessimist!"

"Tomorrow we'll go to the offices and see if anyone can give a description of these people. McGee, divide the names up, two for each pair. You'll be with me," instructed Gibbs, "Pack it up for today... go home, get a decent meal and some sleep."

The agents bid each other a goodnight and left. Tim actually returned to his apartment deciding that if he was going to be going into the field with Gibbs tomorrow he needed to actually get some sleep.

-NCIS-

Tim may have had good intentions, but his brain and his body weren't on the same page. He got home and immediately stripped off his work clothes and took a long hot shower; then he threw on some sweat pants and an MIT t-shirt and wandered through to the kitchen. Just like every other day since this case started he really wasn't hungry, which was just as well given there wasn't much food in the apartment. He stood staring into the cupboards. His choice was cereal or soup. Tiredly he opened a can of soup and heated it, sitting at the small breakfast bar to eat.

The task force had been eating dinner together for the past week, but Tim invariably only managed a quarter of what he would normally eat. Lunch was normally a sandwich grabbed on the run, but honestly if someone else didn't get him something then Tim hadn't bothered. In fact Tim had been eating so little that he had started to lose weight, his pants a little looser than before.

He finished half his bowl of soup and sighed before giving up and cleaning up. Gibbs had let them leave earlier than any other night but even though it was relatively early in comparison to other nights Tim made his way to bed, climbing gratefully under the warm covers. Abby's futon was alright for the odd night, but sleeping on it repeatedly was a recipe for a bad back. His head hit the pillow and he was out like a light.

-NCIS-

Tim woke once more with his heart trying to beat out of his chest, sweat soaking both his body and his bedding. He shivered and turned to look at his clock, sighing when he saw that it was only 02:00. That meant he'd managed less than three hours sleep again. The bed was now uncomfortable, the sweat cooling in the night air so he forced himself up, stripped the bed and headed for the shower, shivering as the same cool night air hit his sweat covered skin.

The shower warmed his still chilled body and went some way to relaxing muscles that had been too tense for the last week, but it wasn't enough to rid him of the tension completely. Shower finished he dried himself off and threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt before going into the bedroom to make his bed with clean bedding. He decided that he would try to get some more sleep so still clothed because for some reason he still felt chilled, he got back under the covers. Unfortunately sleep eluded him. Every time he closed his eyes he was plagued with visions of the children in the photos performing unspeakable acts. Children that should have been laughing, playing and learning were being abused and it was messing with his head in a way nothing else could come close to.

Of course he knew that child abuse and pornography happened in any walk of life but to be confronted with the photographic evidence of so many at once was hard for him to take in. Deep down he knew he wasn't handling things at all and he needed to speak to someone but he was determined to wait until the case was over before he crumbled. Nobody on the team would be able to accuse him of being weak for allowing his emotions to get the better of him during a case.

He lay there staring at his ceiling, wondering what else he could be doing to find these kids. Though a part of him wondered what they could expect from their lives now that they had been so traumatised. Pictures of them scattered across the internet and who knows what else…

Tim sat upright as a thought struck him. He swore under his breath, angry that he hadn't thought of it before. He dragged himself back out of bed, yes he was tired but his suffering was nothing in comparison to what these children and others like them were enduring. It was only 03:30 but he was going back into the office. Maybe his idea wouldn't work, but he had to try.

By 04:00 he was back in the Cyber Crimes conference room in front of a PC. He didn't feel particularly comfortable about what he was doing but he knew that it was necessary. If he could locate just one of these kids with what he was doing then any perceived suffering on his part was more than worth it.

Tim knew that VCAC had facial recognition being run on the missing children. The software ran against the multitude of videos and photographs found on the internet but as far as Tim could see they were using the photos given to them by each of the parents. The first child to go missing had been abducted nearly three years ago and had only been six years old. A child can change a lot in just months so his idea was to use the FBI's own software to age the children and run them against video and photos that had been uploaded in the last three years. He knew it was a long shot but he had to try. VCAC were looking for literally hundreds of missing children and they just didn't have the resources to age every single photo; Tim planned to age all twenty one of these missing children, even if they'd only been missing a year. The slightest change could help the facial recognition pick up something faster.

By the time Gibbs came in at 06:00 Tim had finished aging the last of the children and had set them running. He had decided that there was no need to tell anyone about this unless it bore fruit.

Gibbs simply raised an eyebrow at seeing Tim already working. He'd check later what time the younger man had arrived, in fact looking at the dark circles under his eyes he needed to check what time he'd been coming in for the whole week because it sure didn't look like he was getting much sleep.

"Let's go McGee," ordered Gibbs. The Team Leader didn't wait to see if his agent was following him because he knew he would. Somebody would be at the catering companies offices at 07:00 because of the nature of their business so since McGee was already in Gibbs decided he might as well take advantage of that and get to the first office for when the first person was due in.

-NCIS-

Gibbs returned to the Cyber Crimes conference room early afternoon to find everyone else already back, "Conference room three, McGee's taken lunch up there," he informed the others before turning around and heading back out.

Tim had been glad when Gibbs sent him up to take the food to the upstairs conference room. It meant he would have enough time to dispose of half the sub that he had chosen for his lunch and would therefore be able to avoid pointed remarks about his eating, or lack thereof.

Tony was, possibly predictably, the first to make it into the room, Gibbs having gone to get Abby, Ducky and Palmer to join them. Although the two men from Autopsy had thankfully not yet been required they still, on occasion, joined the group for lunch if they had nothing urgent on.

"Hungry McGee?" asked Tony noticing that the younger man was more than halfway through his own sub.

"A little," replied McGee casually. At least he hoped it was casually, because everyone knew he was a bad liar!

Ziva pushed passed Tony and grabbed one of the subs and took a seat next to McGee as the others filtered in. Tony quickly made his selection, finding his favourite among the choices. He smiled at McGee and nodded his thanks. In fact McGee had selected a favourite sub for each of the agents, having remembered from a lunch earlier in the week who liked what. It saved on arguments.

The group talked about anything but the case, which wasn't easy since they'd all been doing nothing else but working and sleeping mostly, but one of the things they tried to do was to take a couple of breaks during the day where the case wasn't discussed, even if everyone knew it was at the forefront of their minds.

Ducky was gratified to see that Tim had managed to eat most of his sub; he had been worried that he was going to have to cajole him into eating. He figured the Team Leader must have spoken to him about eating more after Ducky expressed his concern.

Gibbs also noted that McGee had eaten more but he hadn't had a chance to speak to him, so he figured Ducky must have said something. It was a relief because although he cared about his team's welfare he didn't really like to lecture them on eating and sleeping; they were all adults.

When lunch was done and the detritus cleared away they all returned to Cyber Crimes. All the managers at the catering companies said the same thing; the man that the agents were looking for was average. Average height, build, colouring… nothing about him stood out. A couple of the companies had photographs, but the quality of the picture was such that his features couldn't be made out properly. It seemed that a glare was caught by the lens. The other companies reported that the man had always managed to avoid having his photo taken. When asked about the security aspect and having ID to enter their customer's homes the managers stated that he used his driver's licence and he was always with other members of the catering company to vouch for him.

They had each then asked these managers about the background checks but none of the companies dug particularly deep and just took what they got back at face value because for the more select clients they only used trusted employees that had been with the company for a minimum of a year.

Gibbs had bristled when he'd heard that, people trusted these companies and allowed their employees into their homes, but only if the clients had money did they get the staff that were trusted!

Tim left the others discussing the next steps and called New York and then Mississippi to find out how their interviews with the local catering companies had gone. He hadn't expected to hear anything different and he didn't. Though one of the New York firms said they sometimes took promotional pictures of the parties they were catering, with their client's permission, and they were going to look through archived photos of events that the unknown man had worked to see if he appeared in any of those pictures. That was better than nothing.

They seemed to be at a dead end. Abby had nothing new on the evidence from the cases, nothing had shown up on facial recognition at VCAC and although Abby was going to try to get a better picture of their suspect by trying to lessen the glare she wasn't hopeful that the picture would be good enough for facial recognition to be used.

Everyone took another run through the cases, looking for something they may have missed, but by the end of the normal working day they had nothing. Reluctantly Gibbs called it a day and ordered everyone home.

Tim desperately wanted to check the work he had started that morning, but if he said he wanted to stay longer Gibbs would want to know why and the man was waiting at the door for everyone to leave. Sighing Tim gathered his stuff and left, he'd go home for an hour or so to make sure Gibbs had really left and then return.

-NCIS-

Tim returned to the Navy Yard at 20:00, wanting to make sure that Gibbs had really left and it was also after the guard shift change so he was less likely to be asked questions.

Once in the building he wasted no time in entering the Cyber Crimes conference room and opening up the search. All twenty one images were running against any sites that held videos or images of children, inappropriate or otherwise. There had been no hits as yet, but Tim wasn't giving up. He went to the VCAC database and pulled up details of sites that they had discovered in the last three years. Most of them had been shut down, but Tim knew that he might be able to track new sites with the information available, sites that VCAC weren't yet aware of.

It took less than an hour before Tim was running for the head and emptying the contents of his stomach. If he'd thought he'd need bleach for his eyes and brain before he would need triple strength now. How could anyone do those things to innocent children? It really was beyond his comprehension.

He had found another dozen sites that weren't currently on the VCAC watch list; though they would be by the time he was done. Each site had literally hundreds of videos that the facial recognition software was now searching.

Satisfied that he was done praying to the porcelain God, at least for now, he pushed himself to stand on his shaky legs and stood at the sink running the cold water faucet and splashing the cool liquid on his face. He rinsed his mouth out, turned off the faucet and leaned against the sink taking deep breaths. Perhaps he should have told someone what he was doing; maybe it would have helped to have someone else in the room. Then again it would have meant someone else seeing the vile images that he had been subjected to. Of course Drew and Daisy worked these cases all the time but as much as he liked them he just didn't know them well enough to allow them in to see his vulnerabilities, his weaknesses. Gibbs, Tony and Ziva would have stayed but he didn't want to tell them about his idea and possibly get their hopes up only to have it fail.

One final deep breath and he decided he was ready to go back. He was glad to be able to drop in his chair; his legs were shaking the whole way. Turning his attention back to his screen he opened the bottle of water and took a few mouthfuls to take away the horrible taste in his mouth. If only it was as easy to wipe the images of these children from his brain.

The next four hours followed a similar pattern, except now Tim had nothing left in his stomach. He could no longer stomach even water so had to be satisfied with just rinsing his mouth out. The stress was becoming evident as his whole body shook.

Just when Tim thought he couldn't take any more and he'd have to call it quits for the night a beep came from his computer. He quickly turned his attention to it and found that two of the DC children had been found on one site. His heart beat faster and his mouth became even drier as he checked the results. The video that the children had been identified in was streaming live! He pushed down the nausea at the thought the young boy and girl that had been identified were even now being abused and picked up his phone as he typed.

"_Gibbs,"_ the voice of his boss was laden with sleep.

"Boss, I've got something!"

"_McGee?"_ Gibbs threw off the covers and started to grab clothes to pull on.

"I need you to come into the Yard."

"_What…"_

"I'll explain when you get here!" McGee then did something he'd never done before; he hung up on his boss.

Gibbs looked at his cell in surprise before continuing to get dressed. He was out the door and dialling Tony within five minutes.

Tim continued typing; he was determined to trace the people that were streaming this video. He was so absorbed in his task that he didn't hear Gibbs arrive, closely followed by the other members of the task force. There had been a measure of glee on Tony's part at being able to get Sacks out of bed in the early hours of the morning. Anyway, they were a task force; if the NCIS team had to be up at a god forsaken hour then so should the other agents involved.

Gibbs recognised Tim's focus for what it was and indicated that he shouldn't be disturbed, it was clear to the Team Leader the younger man was onto something big and he didn't want to distract him from whatever it was he was doing. They all watched in fascination as McGee's fingers flew across the keyboard, the odd muttered word could be made out but they weren't able to fully tell what he was doing, not even Drew.

Whoever was streaming this video was good, they were bouncing their signal all over the place, but Tim knew he was better. He had to be, there was no other option. These kids were depending on him to find them, even if they didn't know it.

It took nearly forty minutes after his call to Gibbs for him to finally get what he was after, "YES!" he pushed back from the computer and went to pick up his cell when a voice stopped him.

"What ya got McGee?"

"Er, Boss, I didn't hear you come in," he slowly turned around and his eyes comically widened as he realised that the rest of the task force was also present. The adrenaline had thankfully pushed away any shakiness that he had been experiencing earlier.

"Clearly," snorted Tony.

"I found two of the children in a video being streamed live. I've tracked the signal to this address," he scribbled it down on a piece of paper and handed it over.

"Let's go," Gibbs ordered as he strode out of the room, everyone scrambling to catch up.

The four FBI agents got into one vehicle and the NCIS agents into another. For once Tim was riding shotgun as both Tony and Ziva had got in the back without questioning it. They knew that McGee had some explaining to do.

Gibbs shot out of the Navy Yard with more zeal than normal, which wasn't a surprise given the situation, "Explain!" he ordered.

Tim fidgeted in his seat before he took a breath and explained what he'd been doing and how he'd found the video.

"But you left, I saw you!"

"Clearly he came back Tony," Ziva told him.

"When this is over we'll be talking about this McGee," Gibbs shot a glare at his front seat passenger. Honestly if this panned out then the Team Leader didn't know if he'd be able to bring himself to be angry at the younger man for disobeying him.

"Yes Boss," McGee didn't care if Gibbs yelled at him as long as they found these kids.

Any further conversation was prevented as they pulled up just down from the residence McGee had identified. A brief discussion at the two cars and they agreed their plan as they were donning their vests. Gibbs, McGee, Sacks and Daisy were going in the front door; Fornell, Tony, Ziva and Drew were going in the back. They had no way of knowing how many people were in the house or if they were armed, but since it was possible that these people could move on quickly and take these kids with them they weren't willing to wait.

A shout of NCIS and FBI was heard as doors were kicked in; within a matter of minutes they had the house secured and one suspect in custody, along with two traumatised children.

Tim had been the one to open the door into the room where two children were being forced to do unspeakable things. He knocked the camera over, effectively shutting down the live video and hauled the man off the two children. If it hadn't been for those two children curled into terrified balls then mild mannered McGee would probably have beaten the man to a pulp, instead he thrust him at Ziva, who happened to be close on his heels when he shouted 'in here'. To be honest she could probably do him more harm and not leave a physical trace so as far as he was concerned the right person had the man.

He turned his attention to the children, slipping off his NCIS jacket as he spoke to them quietly, "It's alright, we're federal agents, police… We're here to take you home," he moved closer, slowly and carefully as the two children clung to each other, "It's OK Chris, Anna, you're safe now." He held out the jacket and Chris took it from him draping it over Anna, who quickly slipped her small arms into the sleeves. Another jacket appeared, this time with FBI written on it, and without even looking Tim took it and handed it to Chris who slipped it over his naked body; the jackets big enough on the children's small frames to cover to their knees.

Both children now realised they were safe and reached out to Tim. He gladly took each of their hands and once they were upright they pressed into his sides, burying their faces in his stomach. With an arm wrapped around each of them he waited for the all clear, speaking softly to them. Words that reassured the two trembling figures that they were safe and they would be going home soon.

Tim heard the shout of all clear and gently encouraged the two children to move forward. Neither of them wanted to release their hold on him so he twisted his body sideways to enable them to get out of the door of the room before leading them out of the house. The other agents had kept their distance not wanting to overwhelm the children.

An ambulance pulled up and he walked them over to it, but neither of the children would let go long enough to allow the EMTs to check them out. Gibbs could see his agent's dilemma and approached cautiously.

"Go to the hospital with them McGee."

The younger man looked over at the car where the one man they'd arrested waited to be taken back to NCIS. He wanted to be the one to talk to him, but he doubted he'd be allowed. Still these children, so damaged and vulnerable had trusted him thus far, his place was with them for now, "Yes Boss."

"Fornell is arranging for the parents to be picked up and brought to the hospital. I'm going back to the Yard with Drew and our suspect then I'll come and get you," Gibbs told him.

"Thanks Boss," the younger man managed to persuade the two children into the back of the ambulance and he settled in between them an arm wrapped protectively around each child as the doors closed.

Gibbs watched the ambulance drive off, he knew McGee had wanted to be in on the questioning of their suspect and he was going to make sure he got the chance; he'd earned it. Turning back to the scene he started barking out orders.

-NCIS-

Tim watched with a sense of awe as the two children were reunited with their parents. Both children were hesitant at first. They had been away from their families for over a year, taken only a month apart, and then subjected to treatment that was beyond most people's comprehension. When the parents had arrived at the hospital an experienced counsellor had spoken to them first, warning them that the children may not want to be touched.

Since neither child would allow Tim out of their sight they had been put in a quiet room together. The door opened to reveal the two sets of parents and the FBI agents that had escorted them, both children tensed and burrowed closer to their protector.

"Hey, it's alright," Tim assured them, "We talked about this, remember? It's your parents. They've missed you so much," he looked down at the children, still not really understanding how they could trust him, or any adult, after what they'd been through. It took a few minutes of reassurance before they pulled away from him slightly to look in the direction of their parents.

All four stood just a few feet away, wringing their hands and gripping onto each other for support. They wanted nothing more than to enfold their children in their arms but knew that they had to wait for the children to come to them.

Chris was the first to speak, "Mom? Dad?" voice barely a whisper.

"It's us Chris. We've missed you so much," his Dad dropped down to one knee in front of them, his wife's hand resting on his shoulder, "We never stopped looking for you Chris."

"It's OK Chris, they're not going to hurt you, I promise," Tim looked down at the boy as his eyes questioned the validity of what he was being told. Finally he decided that he could trust enough to move away from Tim and reach out to touch his Dad's face.

"Dad."

"Can I give you a hug Chris, please?"

Chris seemed to think about it for a minute before nodding. That was all it took for him to be enfolded into his father's strong arms, his wife dropped to her knees next to them and held them both, tears streaming down all their faces. Tim knew they had a long road ahead of them, but it was clear that Chris had the love and support that he would need to get through it eventually.

Anna had watched the reunion still pressed up against Tim. His hand had continually been running soothingly through her long dark hair. Once he was sure Chris was absorbed in his reunion with his parents Tim knelt down.

"It's alright Anna," he beckoned her parents forward, both emulating Chris' parents and kneeling down so as to appear less threatening, "You remember your Mom and Dad," he received a nod in response but she buried her face in his shoulder after just a quick glance at them. "Well just like Chris' parents, they've missed you and would love to be able to speak to you. Is that OK?" she nodded against his shoulder but still didn't pull away.

"Anna," her Mom spoke softly, the tears that she had cried, and was still crying, evident in her voice, "We never stopped looking for you either honey. Your room is waiting for you and Dudley missed you too."

"Dudley?" Tim asked quietly as he pulled Anna away from him slightly so he could look at her, "Whose Dudley?"

"My dog," she whispered in response.

"You know I have a dog, his name is Jethro. I really miss him when I'm away and I know he misses me too. I get lots of licks whenever I get back though."

"We've brought a picture of him with us, would you like to see it?" her Dad asked gently.

Anna finally turned to face her parents, but still kept her body pressed against Tim's, "Uh huh," she reached out and took the picture of her dog and Tim looked at it with her.

"Well he's a handsome fella," he stated as he looked at a picture of a chocolate Labrador.

"I missed him," Anna sniffled.

"I bet he'll have plenty of cuddles saved up for you," Tim told her.

"Licks too?"

"Oh yeah, definitely."

"Tim?"

"Yes Anna," he smiled down at her.

"I wanna go home."

"Oh honey, you can. Your Mom and Dad are here to take you."

She glanced at the other two adults still kneeling in front of her and tentatively reached out towards her Mom. When her Mom responded by holding her hand out and waiting Anna took a step away from Tim, glancing back at him and receiving a nod of reassurance, she took the hand.

"Can we give you a hug Anna?"

In answer Anna moved closer and put one of her arms around her Mom's neck and one around her Dad's. Tim sighed with relief as he stood back up and the counsellor walked over to join him.

"You did well Agent McGee," she told him quietly.

"I don't know that I'd be handling it as well as them," he responded.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that they've allowed physical contact right now. They're both scared and unsure. I don't know what the man that took them has been telling them and that will impact their relationship with their parents."

"They'll be alright though, won't they?"

"Honestly? It's too early to tell right now. They know that they're away from the man that hurt them and that's a good start. Both clearly have loving families which is something they are going to need," she glanced over at the agent, "You've done what you can Agent McGee, now the rest is up to them, their families and counsellors."

Tim was about to say something when he saw movement at the door. Gibbs was watching them, "I need to go…"

"Slip out quietly, I'll let the children know you had to go back to work."

"Thanks," Tim smiled but gave her a couple of cards, "Can you give this to their parents, let them know if Anna or Chris need anything or they just want to talk they can call me."

"That's unusual Agent McGee, but under the circumstances I'll allow it."

"Thank you," he nodded and slipped quietly out of the room.

-NCIS-

"What did our suspect have to say?" Tim asked once they were in the car and on their way back to NCIS.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You mean he wouldn't talk at all?"

"Dunno. Haven't spoken to him yet."

"You haven't spoken to him yet?"

"Are you just gonna repeat everything I say?" Gibbs arched an eyebrow as he glanced over at his agent.

"No Boss, I mean…"

"We haven't spoken to him yet because I figured you'd want to be there," he decided to take pity on the other man.

"I do, but isn't that causing a delay, we still have nineteen kids to find Boss."

"It's not gonna hurt to let the man sweat a little; besides we're still trying to identify him. He didn't have any ID on him."

"Oh, OK," the men fell into a comfortable silence for the rest of the journey.

They entered the Cyber Crimes conference room and Gibbs immediately took control, "What do we have?"

"Abby ran facial recognition on our suspect as his prints weren't in the system," Tony supplied, "His name is Robert Dunlow. Age thirty two. No criminal record," he indicated the plasma, "Notice anything about him?"

"He's average height and build…" stated Tim.

"He's our missing catering company employee," responded Gibbs, "Get a photo over to those companies to get it confirmed."

"We have already done so," Ziva told them, "We woke the managers of the eight DC companies and emailed them the picture, each of them confirmed that this is the man that they hired."

"McGee, with me," Gibbs ordered as he strode out of the room, heading for interrogation.

Tony and Ziva exchanged glances before grinning and following them, indicating to the four FBI agents that they should follow as well. Gibbs was about to interrogate their suspect, this would definitely be worth viewing, though neither were quite sure why it was McGee that had been invited along as opposed to one of the FBI agents.

Gibbs stopped outside the interrogation room door, "I want you to take the lead," he told McGee.

"You do?" he asked, trying to stop his voice from squeaking in surprise.

"You earned it," Gibbs replied, "Can you do it?"

"Yes Boss."

Gibbs nodded once before opening the door and walking in; Tim took a deep breath and strolled casually in after him, closing the door quietly.

The observation room was quite full with the six agents; Abby and Director Vance. The latter had been called the moment Gibbs realised what McGee had discovered. There was an intake of breath when it dawned on those watching that Gibbs was not going to be doing the interrogation, as the Team Leader stood off to the side and McGee lowered himself slowly into the chair opposite Dunlow. The interrogation and observation rooms then fell into silence; a staring match going on between McGee and Dunlow.

"You can't keep me here! I've done nothing wrong!" Dunlow broke first. McGee still said nothing, "I have rights."

"And you were read those rights," McGee stated with a shrug.

"I want a lawyer."

"Well that's blown it," murmured Tony, "McGee should never have given him that opening."

"We can arrange that, can't we Agent Gibbs," McGee brought the suspect's attention to the other agent in the room, who just casually shrugged, "Of course a lawyer isn't going to be able to do much for you, given the fact that you were live streaming child pornography that was then traced to your location. When agents arrived you were found in the same room as two children that were abducted over a year ago and who were being forced to take part in the aforementioned live stream."

"You got no proof!" Dunlow blustered, though he must have realised that the agents had him dead to rights.

"Oh, we have plenty of proof. We have the trace on the live feed; we have your fingerprints at the house where the children were located; but more than that we have DNA on those two children," McGee had to hold back the shudder as he recalled having to watch as both children went through a sexual assault examination, "I'm willing to bet my paycheck for the next year that it's yours." McGee continued to stare at the man opposite him, "Nothing to say?"

"I. Want. A. Lawyer."

"Well that's OK, I can talk and you can listen. Producing and distributing child pornography, that's a minimum sentence of 5 years. First degree sexual abuse can carry a sentence of up to 30 years. Kidnapping carries a sentence of around 20 years. Two counts of each offense, you do the math! Of course we haven't finished investigating yet either so there will no doubt be more that we can add. I think it's safe to say that you're never getting out!"

Tim pushed his chair back, the scraping sound jarring, he leaned forward, placed his hands on the table and leaned in to whisper in Dunlow's ear, "Do you have _any_ idea what the other prisoners do to those convicted of hurting children? I don't think you'll survive to serve your life sentence without parole," he stood up straight and started to walk away.

"Wait!"

"What? I'm gonna request your lawyer."

"I want a deal!"

"You want a deal?" he looked over at Gibbs and let out a laugh that was certainly far from humorous, "He wants a deal Agent Gibbs."

Dunlow looked from McGee to Gibbs and back again, "I have information…"

"You wanted a lawyer," pointed out McGee calmly turning back to the door again.

"Give me a deal, then I'll tell you what you want to know," Dunlow was practically begging now. He knew that he'd been caught red handed.

"So you no longer want a lawyer?"

"I want a deal."

"I'll see what I can do," McGee got up and Gibbs followed him

-NCIS-

After speaking to Director Vance and debating the validity of even thinking about giving Dunlow a deal, it was decided to offer him a plea that meant he may, possibly, be able to get parole some day in the distant future.

Dunlow then gave the names and locations of those involved. They had started out in Mississippi. Dunlow would identify a child through his work at various catering companies; he then put a call in to the three ring leaders who would arrange the abductions.

Drew had been right; there were three people; one in the boat keeping it running, one to carry out the abduction and one waiting in the boat to take the child. The abductor would then untie the boat from its mooring and join the others in the boat.

The gang started to become concerned that someone might put together the abductions so one of the members stayed in Mississippi to carry on producing the pornography while the others moved on to New York. Then once they felt they had pushed their luck far enough they moved on to Washington DC. The abduction of Anna had been their last in the area and Dunlow had opted to stay put this time with one of the leaders while the others moved on to Florida. He wasn't supposed to be filming the two children they caught him with; he was only supposed to make sure they had food and water. At least that meant that the rest of the ring was unlikely to be aware of the fact that Dunlow had been caught.

All this information had left the task force the unenviable job of arranging raids in Washington DC; New York; Mississippi and Florida. There were multiple locations because the group only ever kept one or two children at each address.

Tim had been up in MTAC for hour's co-ordinating raids at all eighteen locations across the four areas. A total of twenty five children were located and thirty four people arrested. The rest of the task force had joined raids across five separate locations in DC. Not only had he been co-ordinating various raids with various locations but also with various resources; including FBI; NCIS; Metro PD; NYPD and various police forces in Florida and Mississippi.

"Well done Agent McGee," Director Vance had been on hand throughout the operation making sure that Tim had the support he needed to deal with the different bureaucrats if necessary, "Why don't you take a break."

"I'm alright Director, I've got reports to write up," McGee smiled tiredly at the other man.

"Your team won't be back for a while, take the time to get a break Agent McGee. You earned it."

"I'm fine…"

"I can make it an order if you like," the Director smiled to take any sting out of the words, "Go on."

Tim did feel kind of wiped out, perhaps a break would help, "OK, thank you Sir," he nodded to the man, took a moment to thank the MTAC techs for their assistance and left, deciding that some fresh air was probably in order.

Exiting the NCIS building he made his way over to the railing overlooking the Anacostia River near the USS Barry's berth, he pulled his coat tighter as he shivered. The evening wasn't overly chilly but he had been having trouble keeping warm all day.

He stared off into the distance, across the river and let his mind wander over the events of the last week. It had been a rough time for everyone. Cases involving kids always seemed to drive everyone that much harder and further.

Tim didn't know how long he stood there, trying to switch his brain off. It was nice to be out of the building that he hadn't left since returning from the hospital earlier that day. In fact now he thought about it he hadn't actually slept since 02:00 the previous morning, which meant he'd been awake for around forty hours.

The moment that realisation hit Tim was the precise moment the adrenaline that had been keeping him going completely depleted. The nausea he had suffered from during his time watching the videos resurfaced and he retched, but had nothing in his stomach; a wave of dizziness hit him like a brick and he clung to the railing. His heart hammered in his chest, enough to make him wonder if he was having a heart attack. He glanced around but there was nobody to help him; he didn't know whether to be grateful that nobody was watching his collapse or concerned that nobody would miss him. The last of his strength left him; his grip on the railing slipped and he fell to the ground.

-NCIS-

"Man, that was some day!" exclaimed Tony, flopping into his chair in the bullpen.

"I do not think I have ever experienced such a large operation since starting with NCIS," Ziva stated as she too went to her chair, but landed in it much more gracefully.

"I'd say it's one for the history books alright," Sacks said as he perched on McGee's desk.

"Gibbs!" Abby charged into the bullpen, "You found the kids right?"

"Yeah Abs, all six of them. They're at the hospital now," he told her as he wrapped her in a hug.

"Timothy will be pleased," Ducky said as he and Palmer joined them.

"Talking of Tim, where is he?" asked Drew.

"He was in MTAC before we left," responded Fornell.

"Well he can't still be in there surely. The op's completed," Tony looked up at the stairs behind him, debating on getting up to go and check.

"No, he's not Agent DiNozzo, I sent him for a well-earned break about fifteen minutes ago," Director Vance said as he looked down on the bullpen from the balcony area outside MTAC. "Well done all of you. Good work! Now I suggest you take a break as well."

Tony and Ziva looked at Gibbs, "Yeah, go on," their boss nodded his head in agreement as he walked up the stairs to join the Director, "Go get some food!"

"On it Boss," replied Tony as he got up and left the bullpen with Ziva in tow, "We'll bring it back to the usual place!" he grinned.

The others all nodded and made their way to conference room three for what would probably be their last meal together.

Gibbs and Vance disappeared into his office, "Before you ask McGee acquitted himself admirably."

"Didn't doubt it for a minute Leon."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was sitting in this chair one day," Vance said as he patted the arm of his desk chair.

"Maybe he doesn't want to be Director," pointed out Gibbs with a grin.

"Maybe not. It's not a job that suits everyone," he grinned himself at that.

"Seriously, how was he?"

"The same as the rest of you, exhausted. I don't think he left his chair all day. In fact I don't remember seeing him eat or drink anything now I think about it," Vance's brow furrowed in concern.

"This case really took it out of him."

"Out of all of you," Vance nodded, "Once the reports are done I'm standing your team down for three days."

"Appreciate that Leon. I think I might go and find out where McGee has got to."

"Last I saw he was heading for the front elevators."

"Thanks. You joining us for dinner?"

"I think I might. It's going to be a long night of wrap up conversations with other Directors and Chiefs of Police," sighed Vance.

"That's why you get paid the big bucks Leon."

"Yeah, right!" scoffed the Director as the two men left his office; Vance to return to MTAC and Gibbs to go in search of McGee.

Gibbs glanced down into the bullpen to make sure that his agent hadn't returned before going to the elevator in search of him. When he got to the front door he stopped at the security desk, "Bob, have you seen McGee?"

"Sure, he went outside a while ago; he was heading over towards the river."

"Thanks," Gibbs nodded as he exited the building and walked towards the Anacostia. The Team Leader was thinking about his youngest agent and how much he'd grown over the years. He'd been unfairly hard on him at the beginning of this case, something he had a habit of doing when things weren't going his way, especially when it involved computers, something he didn't really understand.

Glancing over at the river he noticed a figure hunched over the railing and knew that had to be McGee given that there was nobody else around. He increased his pace to join him when the younger man suddenly collapsed to the ground.

"McGee!" he called out and ran to him, carefully rolling him on to his back and checking for a pulse which was rapid. He also felt a tremor running through his agent's body. Quickly he looked to make sure there were no obvious signs of injury but he could find no wounds anywhere. Satisfied that there was nothing immediately obvious for him to do, he gently laid Tim in the recovery position and then pulled out his cell as he was laying his jacket over the prone form.

"Ducky, I need you out the front of the building over by the river near the Barry, McGee's collapsed."

"Oh heavens," Ducky could be heard moving even as he continued to talk, "Agent Fornell could you please call an ambulance. Mr Palmer if you would be so kind as to grab my bag and meet me over at the river. I'm on my way Jethro."

Gibbs hung up and turned his attention back to McGee, "Tim, come on, wake up," he gently tapped his cheek, "No sleeping on the job."

"Boss?" the word was mumbled and nearly inaudible. Tim was sure he'd heard his boss but he couldn't be positive given the fogginess he was experiencing. He was just so tired.

"Yeah Tim, come on… No, don't go back to sleep, stay with me!"

"Tired."

"I know, but I need you to stay awake for me. What happened?"

"Dizzy."

"Jethro!" Ducky called out as he approached; Abby, Daisy, Drew, Fornell and Sacks hot on his heels.

"Timmy!"

Gibbs quickly moved to intercept the Goth, Tim didn't need her brand of concern right now. What he needed was Ducky's calm.

"Timothy."

"Ducky?"

"Yes lad. Can you tell me what happened?"

"Just felt… dizzy for a moment," the fog was lifting slightly.

"Here you are Doctor Mallard," Jimmy ran up, slightly breathless from having dashed to Autopsy to get Ducky's bag.

"Ah, thank you Mr Palmer. Would you help me turn Timothy on to his back?"

"Of course," Jimmy knelt down, "Hey McGee," he smiled, "Just going to help you turn over so Doctor Mallard can get a look at you."

"'K Jimmy," he allowed the two men to manhandle him until he was lying on his back; his compliance in and of itself a worry for the two men.

Ducky tutted as soon as he managed to take his patient's blood pressure, "Timothy, your blood pressure is too high; no wonder you collapsed."

"He's dehydrated Doctor Mallard," Jimmy indicated where he was pinching the back of McGee's hand, the skin remaining 'tented' once released a sign of a lack of fluids.

The ambulance arrived and a brief conversation with Ducky had them inserting an IV line and hanging some saline. Moments later Tim was loaded onto a gurney and placed in the back of the ambulance.

"Go with him Duck, we'll follow."

"Very well Jethro."

The doors to the ambulance closed and the vehicle headed for the exit.

-NCIS-

Gibbs entered the Bethesda waiting room with eight people on his heels. Once Tony and Ziva got back from their dinner run everyone wanted to get to the hospital and see how McGee was doing, including the four FBI agents. Not in the mood to argue and just wanting to get to the hospital he'd huffed out his agreement.

The others went to take a seat while Gibbs asked at the desk for information, since Ducky wasn't in the waiting area.

"Ah, Agent Gibbs, Doctor Mallard told us to expect you. I'll let him know you're here," the nurse at the desk told him before disappearing behind a staff only door.

Gibbs paced the waiting area, glancing up at the door every few seconds. Ducky finally came through them a few minutes later.

"Let's sit down shall we?" suggested Ducky, not giving the other man a chance to argue, he gripped his elbow and escorted him to a chair.

"How is he Ducky? What's wrong?" Tony asked even as he was setting out the dinner that he'd bought. He figured that if they were going to be stuck at the hospital they might as well get something decent to eat.

"Timothy is resting, as he should be. He's suffering from exhaustion; slight malnutrition and dehydration."

"What?!"

"I'm afraid it's true Jethro. It seems young Timothy has only been getting two to three hours sleep a night and has barely managed to eat anything all week. He's dropped about ten pounds in weight. He also told me that he's been unable to keep anything down, not even water, for the last twenty four hours."

"Why the hell didn't he say anything?" growled Gibbs.

"For precisely this reason Jethro. He knew you'd be angry and he didn't want to be taken off the case."

"I'm angry because he didn't tell me Ducky. If he had then we could have helped him before he reached the stage where he needed to be hospitalised!"

"Agent Gibbs," Drew interrupted, risking bringing the agent's wrath down on his own head, "I spoke to Tim about the fact he was having problems. He didn't feel that he could talk to anyone during the case and assured me that he would speak to Ducky afterwards. I didn't realise that it was this bad. I'm sorry, if I'd realised I would have said something."

"It's not your fault Drew," Daisy placed a hand on his shoulder, "You offered Tim the chance to talk and he didn't take it."

"He thinks you don't get him," Drew told Gibbs, "And you know what, he's probably right, but because he's a computer geek he worries that you don't see him as strong enough to keep up with you; thinks that if he admits to even the slightest weakness then you'll think less of him."

"Well that's just stupid," scoffed Tony.

"Is it DiNozzo?" Daisy glared at him, "I heard you putting down the work he does."

"I kid around with him, that's all."

"Yeah well, when he's dealing with the consequences of looking at hundreds of pictures of children being exploited isn't really the time for that!" retorted Drew.

"We all looked at them," protested Tony.

"No, we didn't," Gibbs stated, voice flat, "Not all of them Tony. We may have looked at one or two from each file, but McGee looked at every single one. I need to speak to him Ducky."

"They're planning to admit him overnight, his electrolytes are all over the place and he needs IV fluids to stabilise them. I'll see if they've settled him into a room yet."

"Thanks Duck."

The others silently ate their food while they waited for permission to see McGee. It was nearly thirty minutes later that Ducky finally returned, "You can see him now."

"Alright, we can all go and see him but then I want you all to go home and get some rest."

"What about our reports Boss?"

"When I called Vance with an update on McGee he said he didn't want to see any of us back at NCIS until the morning," Gibbs told Tony as they followed Ducky through the hospital corridors after clearing away the remnants of their meal.

"There are a lot of us so we need to keep it brief please," Ducky instructed before he opened the door to Tim's room.

Predictably Abby was the first in the room with a squeal of "Timmy!" as she hurried to the bed and encompassed him in a bone crushing hug.

"Need to breathe Abs!"

"Oh, sorry!" she stepped back and then gently slapped him on the arm, "That's for scaring me!"

"How you feeling Probie?"

Tim looked up and flushed with embarrassment at the sight of ten people standing in his room staring at him waiting for an answer, "Foolish, but better, thanks."

"That is good to hear McGee," Ziva gave him a warm smile.

"Right, now you've all seen Timothy, he needs rest. I suggest everyone goes home and does the same," ordered Ducky.

A few minutes later Gibbs was the only one left in the room, Tony nodding to the Team Leader and murmuring that he'd pick him up in the morning.

McGee shifted uncomfortably in the bed, "I know how you feel about apologies Boss…"

"You have nothing to apologise for McGee."

"I should have told you I was struggling," he hung his head, only to lift it slightly when the mattress dipped as Gibbs perched next to his hip.

"Yeah, you should have, but I should have realised that anyone who had looked through that many obscene photographs would struggle. I should have made it clear that I was there to listen."

"You tried…"

"Clearly not hard enough Tim."

"I just… I don't know how to compartmentalise like you, Ziva and Tony."

"That's why you need to tell us when something is affecting you, especially when you're not eating or sleeping Tim. What if you'd been out in the field with us today and collapsed?"

"I wouldn't have gone out in the field today; I knew I wasn't going to be able to do anything strenuous. I would have told you."

"Tim, I know Tony… we _all_ tease you about computer work not being strenuous, but it is. Maybe not physically, but mentally it is…"

"It's my area of expertise, I could do what I did today even half asleep because it's what I do and it comes naturally to me. It's when I go out into the field I have to think more."

"Alright, but there's something else I need to know. Why didn't you tell me you were running that facial recognition software on aged photographs?"

"I didn't want to get your hopes up if it didn't work."

"You mean you didn't want me to ream you out if you told me and it didn't work," there was no question; Gibbs knew that was the reason. "I'm a hard ass Tim; you've known me long enough to know that. I'm not likely to change my ways now, but you made yourself physically ill because you did it alone, that's not acceptable Tim. Even if you can't tell me then you need to tell someone. You could even have told Drew or Daisy."

"I guess I just didn't want them to think badly of the team because I felt I couldn't go to any of you."

"Let people think what they like about us Tim, I really don't care. My concern is that you felt you couldn't come to me, but didn't go to _anyone_ and handled it alone. I can't promise that I won't get angry at you, especially when I don't understand what you're talking about with all this computer stuff, but I will always listen."

"As long as I keep it short and to the point?" asked Tim with a cheeky smile.

"Yeah, no long winded explanations," Gibbs smiled back.

"I can't promise to always come to you. In case you haven't noticed even after all these years you still intimidate the hell out of me!" Gibbs barked out a laugh at that, "I'm pretty sure the only ones you _don't_ intimidate are Ducky and Abs."

"I don't think I intimidate Ziva."

"Hmm, possibly not," Tim turned serious again, "I promise to talk to _someone_ in future, though I'm hoping we never have another case like this one."

"Me too. Alright all I can ask is that you don't try to go it alone in future." Gibbs watched as Tim yawned, "That's enough for tonight, time to get some rest."

"Yeah, OK," Tim inched back down the bed, trying to find a comfortable position.

"Oh and Tim, you'll be getting mandatory sessions with a shrink."

"Oh joy!" Tim groaned; deep down though he was glad, because he wasn't sure how to get the images of those children out of his head.

Gibbs settled down in the chair next to the bed preparing to watch over his agent as he slept, "You did good Tim. Sleep well."

"Thanks Boss, night."

Gibbs knew that he had some work to do on his relationship with his youngest agent, but he was also sure he was worth the effort; all his team were worth the effort.


End file.
